A Coming Out Story
by Yooney
Summary: Cloud and his girlfriend Tifa move to Midgar, city of the gays. After being introduced to the homosexual lifestyle, Cloud becomes curious and fascinated. All it takes is a man with beautiful long silver hair and a hidden motive to remind him of a long forgotten past and turn his life—along with his sexual orientation—completely upside-down. Yaoi
1. Chapter 1

"Hey Cloud, you remember Zack and Sephiroth?" Tifa yelled all the way from the living room at the other end of the apartment.

The blond was in their bedroom, getting dressed and attempting to do his hair at the same time. "Yeah, the two SOLDIERs that came to Nibelheim. The ones you worked as tour guide for. The same guys you've been friends with ever since. Of course I remember them. How could I not?" Cloud said as if he had reminded his girlfriend of that many times before.

The voluptuous brunette chuckled to herself and remained quiet for a moment.

"….So, what about them?" Cloud asked, suspicious. Of course he knew of the two men, but he did not know them personally.

Before answering, she tiptoed into their master bedroom. "I kinda invited them to our housewarming party." What she forgot to add was that she invited them along with anyone else they wanted to bring with them. She knew how Cloud hated parties, especially the kind that involved celebrity military figures, the requirement to be social, and a large crowd of people he didn't know. After having asked her partner to do so many things that required him to be out of his comfort zone, Tifa felt as though she might be pushing it by adding on the two SOLDIERs and all their friends. But she knew that it wouldn't have been a real housewarming without them.

Though her boyfriend was uncomfortable with these things, he had decided to let her throw her party. A part of the reason why he agreed was because she would have likely gone through with the get-together anyway whether he liked it or not. The next reason was because he just wanted her to be happy. Lastly, he knew things would be better off if they both put in mutual consent on matters and events involving their shared home. Cloud stopped everything that he was doing. "…Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Because…I know how you are. You get so weird about parties. You're antisocial and you don't like to meet new people, but since they are my friends you will be forced to meet them and I knew that it would bother you. So I waited until now to give you the red flag so that you didn't have time to come up with some lame excuse, illness or appointment so that you could leave the party."

Cloud gave it a bit of thought. Tifa hit the nail right on the head. She knew him sometimes better than he knew himself.

She then spoke again, "I had to invite them, Cloud….They are the reason why I'm even here. Sephiroth got me a receptionist job at the front desk of the ShinRa building. He recommended me himself. And Zack always comes to check up on how I'm making out. Staying in touch with them has opened up so many doors for me…for us. I would have been betraying our friendship if I didn't insist that they come." A minute had gone by with no form of response from the other. Worried by the sudden silence, Tifa came up behind her lover, where the blond was stationed in front of a long mirror on the back of the closet door, a deadened look on his face. "Is it so bad that I invited them?" She came a little closer.

Light blue eyes remained staring distantly into the mirror. "I'm going to be a part of the military soon… When that happens, Sephiroth will be like my boss. I've never met him before, but I think it might be awkward having him here. It's different for you because the two of you are close friends. He is my superior…" This was by far a better explanation than, than: he simply hated being in a position where he was forced to carry conversation and connect with strangers.

Tifa propped her hands on her hips and gave a displeased scoff. "And here I thought you might have been jealous about me inviting two attractive SOLDIERs to our home. You were thinking about yourself all along."

The blond furrowed his brows, yet reacted calmly, "That isn't true. It's difficult for me knowing that you have mostly male friends and you have this long list of men you plan to invite to the party…plus those two. I don't know, Tifa… maybe you need some girl friends to balance things out."

"Balance things out? Is that the only thing you're worried about, the balance? Aren't you worried that they might fall for me and I could… cheat on you….?" She asked in a taunting manner to conceal how fragile her true feelings were.

"I didn't want to go there, but yes, sometimes it crosses my mind. You are my girlfriend, and a very beautiful one at that. I see the way men stare at you. But it's not like there's anything I can do about that. I can't control you or hide you away from all eyes to see. I would rather you have freedom. If that means that most of your company besides me is made up of males, I have to deal with that. And if you do decide to break up with me, then I won't try to stop you if some other man is what makes you happiest."

"You really have no faith in me, do you? Or is it that you don't have faith in yourself?"

He sighed, "I'm just being realistic. It could happen. If it does, I'm not going to be some spiteful, macho, controlling, vindictive tool about it. Even as the man who loves you, I just want you to be happy no matter if you're with me or someone else. I'm lucky that you chose me and stuck with me this long. Even though I'm lacking and insecure…"

"You don't get it… I WANT you to get jealous. I want you to act possessive! I want you to be mad for once Cloud!"

"Fine…." That was when the blond took her by the arm and threw her into the bed, thick sheet rising up to swallow her dainty figure whole. Cloud pounced on top of her, mouth drawing close to her own. There was a predatory look in his eyes. "You belong to me." His fingers coiled around her jaw, gripping it tight, but not enough to hurt. "I won't allow you to invite so many men to our home." Somehow the comment made him feel even more insecure. It was as if this big macho role Tifa wished for him to play was solely comprised of insecurities, a man who in reality felt puny on the inside with no amount of confidence. It was a man who wasn't emotionally capable of handling his woman being around any other man at all. This was a weak man.

Before Cloud could adlib further, the girl under him had begun to burst into laughter. "I'm sorry! I just can't take you seriously! Hahahahaha!"

The blond didn't think that it was very funny. He was just trying to appease her. His finger unclenched her delicate jaw.

"Nice try though… Hahaha… You cared enough to try. I like seeing that you care."

"Of course, Tifa."

"But…there's this one thing I forgot to tell you… Actually, most of my guy friends are gay. All my really close friends are…so you have absolutely nothing to worry about after all!"

"Gay? What kind of game are you playing? You had me all jealous for nothing. I hadn't been worried about it until you brought up the possibility that things could become intimate between you and them." Cloud got up from his position on top of her and sat on the edge of the mattress.

"Oh, brighten up. It was just a test." She sat up, leaning back on her hands.

"…So, did I pass?" He asked with a touch of indifference.

"Yes! You really do care about me!" Tifa said in a chipper mocking tone.

"I'm surprised you doubted after all this time. And after I decided to move in with you and start a life." He had also agreed to let her pay the rent until he received his payment from The ShinRa Military. It was against his nature since he was supposed to be the man, the male role figure, the bread winner, but he compromised his own pride just to satisfy her. After she had already gotten her job and settled down in the apartment, Tifa nearly begged him to move in rather than wait until the date came when he was scheduled to start his own career. Cloud didn't start training in the military until tomorrow and he didn't get any money until the end of the month.

"Sometimes, a girl just needs a little reassurance."

A grin formed on his lips, "I thought that I gave you reassurance like every other night, sometimes in the morning."

"Oh, that doesn't count. Guys have sex with girls they don't care about all the time!"

"Well, how about we make love? I bet you'll be more than reassured when we're through…." Like before, he climbed on top of her, only this time he had done so in a sensual, slow manner with a sultry smirk on his face.

Tifa put her hands up to stop him from progressing. "Wait…stop…! We have to finish preparing for the party!"

_Tifa and I have been together for four years now. We finally moved in with each other. Yeah, it's expensive to live here in Midgar, but it's the only place to be if you want to make a real living. Back in Nibelheim, college was never really a big thing, so the moment Tifa and I graduated from high school, we decided to go get jobs. And we did, only those jobs didn't pay much at all…well, enough so that we could move out of our parents' houses. One day we came up with a plan. Our plan was for the both of us to move to the City Midgar and make a living. The end result was that she had gotten a job as a receptionist and I had gotten accepted into the military. She never told me the two SOLDIERs were the cause of that though. Ever since before we had even gotten together as a couple, she would tell me about these SOLDIERs she had become friends with; Zack and Sephiroth. I've never met them before, but since we moved here, I've had a feeling that they are going to be a big part of our life now._

Since Cloud never had a housewarming or hadn't so much as attended one, he tried his utmost to help out his girlfriend prepare, which meant, doing exactly what she instructed him to do. At the moment, he was carrying a box an arm's length long into the walk-in closet inside their bedroom. Tifa told him that no unpacked boxes could be seen by the guests, so he had to get them all out of sight. Just when he entered their room, a display only a few yards away from their apartment building caught his attention. Why, the buildings in Midgar where so close to one another, that it was easy to look straight into another's home, their kitchen, living room, their things, their family, and their business. What Cloud took in wasn't anything he would have expected to see taking place, like a couple or a family eating dinner, watching TV or on a computer. It was the sight of two young men passionately kissing each other. Though the city was rather dim, the scene was as plain and clear as if it were taking place in the same space as he.

At first, the blond looked on with one eye, a rather nonchalant, casual gaze, as if to merely acknowledge what the two men were so noticeably doing outside and directly parallel to his bedroom window. He set the box down in the closet and, oddly had came back out with a stronger desire to watch. He neared the window and ducked low to the floor, so that only blue eyes and yellow spikes were poking up beyond the base of his own window. Cloud wasn't one to eavesdrop or spy. He never cared enough about other people's business to go that far. Yet, for some reason that was beyond his understanding at that point in time, he couldn't take his eyes away. He'd never seen something like it before. Two men caressing one another… How did they do it? What were the things going through their minds? How did it feel? It was such a different way of life. Cloud wondered how two guys with the same things could be so deeply engaged in each other's body to the point where even an engaged man such as Cloud was eager to see how it unfolded.

Yes, he was engaged. It happened just the day before. He made his girlfriend a romantic dinner, lit candles and ran her a nice bath before he proposed to her. She said yes and they had sex, or rather, made love, all night. His reason was that Tifa was the only woman he could see himself with, he cared deeply for her, loved her unconditionally, they had been together for four years and they now lived with each other…. The next move after that was marriage, so why wait? He wasn't going to string such a great woman like her along. He wasn't going to let another man marry her, even though if she found someone else, he'd let her go. Presenting her with an engagement ring was the obligatory thing to do. Of course, they weren't going to tie the knot anytime soon. He needed to make more money so that he could take care of her, pay for the wedding and even buy her a better wedding ring. So many things were in the way of that particular course of action, but getting engaged put the leap of commitment in her mind and that big smile on her face in addition to the giddy expectation. As long as Tifa was happy, their home was happy, their life, and Cloud didn't have to worry about her. Things couldn't have been better between them. Besides the occasional feeling of uncertainty and insecurity, their relationship was perfect. But, perhaps there was a reason behind that periodic feeling of doubt, a reason why Cloud had picked the time to propose when he couldn't make any drastic moves toward a nice wedding… He would never admit this to anyone, but he felt like he wasn't good enough for her and that his love for Tifa wasn't enough for an amazing woman like her. On occasion, he also felt sexually curious. Tifa had been the only person he had been with, all that he had ever known.

Perhaps that reason was behind his desire to spy on the couple out the window. He didn't believe that he was curious about sex with men, but all kinds of sex in general. What they did…it was so completely different from the way he touched Tifa…

Cloud was unprepared to see the erection the more masculine man flashed in his view while watching his lover lower to his knees on the floor. Startled, he shifted his eyes away, then mustered up the nerve to keep watching once he realized that neither party knew he was looking. Tifa or anyone else didn't know either. As long as no one knew, it didn't matter what he ogled. It didn't matter if he stared intently at the large erect penis of another man because it looked so perfect, so long, thick, rock hard and nicely shaped. His eyes didn't move away from it until the kneeling man took the whole thing into his mouth. At this, Cloud gasped. He didn't know it was possible for someone to deep throat so….deeply.

It seemed as though the guy on his knees was making the shaft nice and wet. When it was slick with saliva, he stood up and literally stripped his pants off in 3 seconds flat. The man with the huge dick picked him up and shoved his cock right into his ass hole before carrying him off to a place that was out of Cloud's view. He was guessing it was their bed.

That was when Tifa came into the room.

"Okay! Everything is ready for the party. We have time to spare until nine." The brunette got a mischievous look in her coffee tinted eyes as she then wiggled out of her little black dress, the one she picked to wear for the house warming.

Cloud nearly had a heart attack at the sound of her voice, but was more than grateful to see that the two had miraculously disappeared so that his girlfriend couldn't see the reason why he was crouched down by the window. Rather than acting suspicious, he stood up composed as though he had merely been putting on a pair of socks before she barged in. Even still, while Tifa's bodacious body was wrapped up in sexy lingerie, Cloud peered out of the window from the bed as though still trying to comprehend what he had just seen. Even when he saw her approaching figure, his eyes darted back to the view outside. "Tifa…did you know that our neighbors are gay?"

More fixated on Cloud than the neighbors, Tifa pushed her man onto the bed and straddled him, jerking his chin up and away from the view so that his eyes met her perfectly lifted breast still concealed behind her double D size brassiere. "I'm not surprised. This IS the city where all the gays go." She was about to kiss him, until he said more.

"Maybe we made a mistake moving here."

"I don't think so. You just have to get used to it, that's all. Soon, you'll realize that they aren't too different from you and me. They are people just like us."

"I just think it's weird…" Cloud said, finally.

"What's weird is…you having my tits in your face and you aren't even giving them any attention." She pouted.

The blond looked down at the big, bouncy set of knockers, with a somewhat awkward expression. "Sorry, Tifa…"

_We ended up having sex, just like she wanted. I suppose she needed some more reassurance that I'm attracted to her or whatever. I can't really keep track of when, where, how and what, I'm supposed to do to make her happy. I'm just doing what she wants me to do, which is fine with me. There's never a time she wants something that I'm not willing to do for her. But sometimes I feel like there's something wrong with me because I never want for anything from her or from this relationship. I have never had anything to worry about. We have plenty of sex, I don't want anything material from her, I would be fine if we got married next month or a year from now, I never wanted children from her, I know she loves me and wants to stay with me and Tifa is already a great housekeeper even though we take turns cooking and cleaning. She's wonderful and devotedly committed. I don't want anything from her… Maybe that makes me apathetic. I'm not sure. I don't think about it much, but when I do, I feel like there's something wrong with me or that I'm missing something. I have always been pretty passive though so I'm not too worried about it. _

_My passive personality even manifests when we are in bed together. Today, I just laid there, although, I did tell her about the men outside our window. She seemed rather interested. I can't understand some women and their fascination with gay men together. I can't even wrap my head around why men like to watch two girls either. Even so…I told her. I told her everything, all that I saw, that it was a black guy with a huge dick and a white guy with long brown hair. By the time I was done the story, she came. Then, I came; only I pissed her off by pulling out before ejaculating, even though I was wearing a condom. Tifa has never comprehended or even tried to comprehend my aversion to getting her pregnant. I won't let her go on the pill since I know that it will mess with the balance of her body, so I've always pulled out. I don't mind. It gives me peace of mind and the ability to sleep at night. After hearing her complain for the next ten or so minutes about my obsessive compulsive need to pull out, she hopped into the shower. Then, I took a quick one after her. Fifteen minutes later I heard a knock on the door. That was when I set eyes on the most beautiful man I had ever seen in my whole twenty one years of existence…_

Cloud's immediate reaction to the arriving company was to retreat to the kitchen, preparing drinks as his excuse. He was never good with crowds. The General was the first guest to knock on the door, and quite punctual as he had come at precisely nine o'clock. After walking through the door, he had then proceeded to apologize for being early. This, Cloud didn't understand. City people were SO different from what he was used to…

Sephiroth seemed to have brought a whole crew with him, all men of course; anyone that followed after were mostly men too. It was like they all had gotten some unspoken confirmation that it was okay to go to the party once The General got there.

From the kitchen, Cloud gazed his way. He watched him make contact with Tifa, interact with her, and hug her in a casual manner as if they were the best of friends. He studied the tall man as he then introduced the men that had accompanied him… What Cloud couldn't take his eyes off of, was that confidant smile perpetually plastered to his face. As he readied the required amount of glasses for the General and his company, he looked up and down, back and forth at what he was doing with his hands and Sephiroth. Then, suddenly when he looked back up again, the man was gone. He assumed that he had excused himself to use the bathroom or take a phone call.

Seeing as how the coast was clear of the intimidating man, Cloud came out of the kitchen with a tray of martini glasses. Not yet looking up to meet eyes with anyone, he placed it down on the coffee table by the couch where Sephiroth's friends were seated.

Rather than introducing himself, he became distracted by a spectacle a short space away from him. It was something he wasn't quite expecting to see at this house warming and he stopped merely to glance in that direction. There was no way anyone could miss it. A man dressed in a sloppily worn black suit, with long red hair was wildly making out with a dirty blond who was also male. Cloud gawked, quite uncertain about how to react. Frankly, he didn't know how he felt or how he should have felt. The display was just so foreign, and like when he watched the neighbors, the bewilderment he experienced when he set sights on it stopped him in his tracks. He looked to Tifa as though to ask her if something like that should be permitted in their home. She then simply shrugged her shoulders and smiled. He didn't know how she could be so blasé about it.

"This… is a pretty interesting party." Cloud announced to no one in particular, darting his eyes over at the read head and the blond in the corner of his and Tifa's apartment.

Zack followed his line of sight and laughed, "What, Reno? Heh…. We're all pretty used to seeing him do things like that. He's pretty popular with the guys. In fact, I'd steer clear of him. He's quite the playboy."

"…Huh?" Cloud wasn't sure what he wanted him to steer clear of exactly.

"You must be Cloud…. I'm Zack, by the way." He leaned over and shook Cloud's hand enthusiastically. "And these are my friends, the same guys I work with like everyday." Zack then took the time to point his hand in the direction of each man as he introduced them. "This is Angeal, Tseng, Rude, and Lazard. You will see these guys around a lot once you start your training at base." Zack Fair was one of the men Tifa had accompanied during the Nibelheim mission and had gotten quite close to, which was why Cloud wasn't surprised that he knew who he was and that he had gotten accepted into the military. Even after first meeting the SOLDIER, the man seemed quite comfortable and familiar with him. He had a friendly, authentic aura, unlike the General, who felt unapproachable.

The ones Zack identified as Tseng and Lazard were standing, talking to one another. Rude was sitting as still and as silent as a statue beside Angeal who was looking at Zack, monitoring him like a parent did a child in a candy store getting ahead of himself. This was precisely the case. Whenever Zack Fair seemed to set eyes on a man he was attracted to, he fell for them instantly. Angeal had always warned him about falling for people too fast, especially straight men. The only thing he would receive in the end would be a broken heart. But Zack bounced around happily and flirted anyhow, giving the attractive blonde all of his attention.

Cloud put his hand up discreetly, greeting them all with a stiff wave of his fingers. There was but one thing weighing heavily on his thoughts. He took a bold move and spoke his mind, "Are all of you…gay?"

This question caught the talkative Zack off guard. "Hm? Um…well, sort of." He rubbed the back of his head shyly. "Angeal is bisexual."

"Pansexual…" The bigger SOLDIER 1st Class corrected. "Hi, Cloud. Nice to meet you." Angeal then greet the blond in a much sweeter tone of voice.

"Oh, ha ha…oops. Anyways…I'm into guys if that's what you're wondering." Zack then winked flirtatiously at the blond. "What about you, Cloud? We know you have Tifa, but would you ever get with a guy if, I don't know, one day you became single again?"

The blond couldn't help but laugh at the question. "Thinking on it right now, my answer is: no, absolutely not. But I really don't know. You homosexuals just seem so content and wrapped up in your way of life that it almost makes me want to try." He chuckled once more, "Almost…"

"You shouldn't give my friend such ambiguous answers. He may get the wrong idea and think you're sexually confused like him. He may think that he can turn you." A deep voice interrupted the conversation. All eyes turned to the man who spoke those words: Sephiroth. He smiled and sat on the wide arm of the couch, crossing his legs. "When Zack spotted you in the kitchen, he couldn't stop telling me how much he wanted to rape you right there in front of everyone."

Zack stiffened at the General's abrupt comment. "Now, why would you go and tell him that?! It was a joke! And for your information, I'm not confused, I just really hate labels!" He nearly fell out of his seat, trying to get his point across.

Liking how lighthearted the conversation was becoming and finally finding a happy medium in the crowded apartment, Cloud sat down between the brunette and the silver haired man. "Uh….It's fine. I'll take that as a compliment." Somehow, being in the presence of the General didn't seem all that daunting after all. Sephiroth seemed like one of the guys, talking about sex and taunting a close friend. He seemed normal and down to earth. The unexpected impression put him at ease. Cloud slouched, relaxed in the sofa.

"By the way, Cloud. This is Sephiroth, the General, also known as, General hardass."

"I-I know… I've uh, I've seen him in the press and in billboards on the highway to Midgar."

"How discomforting... I hope you don't think you have to treat me a certain way because they make it appear as though I'm a celebrity."

"Oh no… it's just that Tifa has told me so much about you that it's a little mind-blowing finally meeting you in person."

To steer the conversation away from Sephiroth, Zack cut in, "You know… I'm a bit of a celebrity too, you know. I made 1st when I was just eighteen years old. I'm twenty-three right now, practically a veteran." He bragged, brazenly competing against the General for Cloud's attention and praise.

"Really? That's a big accomplishment for an eighteen year old..." The blond was truly impressed.

Zack took it upon himself to carry the conversation. "In SOLDIER we have this saying, it's that if you sleep with a man, you'll make 1st. It was around the time before I got promoted that I lost my virginity to my mentor."

Angeal, on the other side of Zack, gave him a sharp nudge in the elbow and groaned. At least he taught the ignorant puppy how to fight if he failed in teaching him social etiquette. Sometimes Zack just didn't know what to say or how much to say…

Not quite getting the picture, Fair ran his mouth. "Sephiroth, Cloud was just asking me if we were all gay, all us 1sts, which made me really consider taking it under serious consideration. After all, you are the biggest homosexual in the military and you're higher than us all. You have never even slept with a woman! There has to be some validity to it. You, Genesis, Angeal and me, we're all fags." He received another elbow from Angeal. Rude looked as though he had been holding back some laughter. Fag was a title that stood true for all the SOLDIER 1st Classes but Zack and Angeal. "I mean, we had all slept with a guy before making it to 1st." The overly energetic SOLDIER corrected himself.

"That's just a stupid roomer. Don't scare him like that." Sephiroth was the only voice of reason.

"…What if it was true?" Cloud then spoke unexpectedly. "What if sleeping with a man is all it takes to miraculously get me to make 1st?"

A crooked grin slowly made its way onto Zack's smug face. "Now that would be interesting…. Of course, I'd be the one to deflower your ass."

"No…." Sephiroth stole the attention of the blond once more. He was quite good at it. "Cloud wouldn't use you like that just to get promoted…." The General corrected with a knowing smirk on his face.

"Then what would I do, Sephiroth?" Cloud bated the General, wanting ShinRa's most esteemed SOLDIER to humor him.

Accepting the challenge, the silver haired man smirk's widened, "First of all, you wouldn't sleep with any man unless you had—"

"Exhausted all of my resources…" Cloud finished the sentence in synchronization with Sephiroth, a bit impressed with the other's ability to predict his thoughts.

The wise older man nodded once, looking even more arrogant that the usual.

That was when Cloud added, "And if I absolutely did have to sleep with another man, I would—"

"Be the one fucking him in the ass…" Sephiroth finished for him with overconfidence. Yet this was the remarkable, attractive type of confidence. The kind that left most women stunned, captivated, wanting more. Cloud certainly wanted more…

Annoyed with how well the two were connecting, Zack threw his arms up, fed up. His body flopped back into the couch. "Well, there goes any chance I had…"

At that moment, the blond couldn't pull his eyes away from the General. "That….that's… really good. How did you come to that conclusion?"

"Let's just say that I pay close attention to Tifa whenever she mentions your name."

Zack crossed his arms bitterly. "Fuck that, he probably takes notes." Zack leaned over and whispered to Angeal who could care less about the techniques that Sephiroth used to remember such things.

Terribly flattered, Cloud sputtered bashfully, scratching the underside of his chin, eyes cast to the floor to aimlessly search for something to look at down there. "Uhh…." Not knowing how to react, he reached over to the coffee table and took a drink of one of the martinis. Then, suddenly he stood up. Somehow, both him and Sephiroth had stood up at the same time. The abrupt action caused a collision, causing the alcohol in the glass to empty all over the General's grey dress shirt with a single splash. Cloud knew the material was of high quality, the kind he could never afford. "Oh shit! I am so sorry!" He took a few tissues from the box on the table and dabbed at the sullen fibers of the shirt.

"It's okay. I don't care if you spill things on me, Cloud." There was of course, a hidden meaning to his words.

Oblivious of what the man had meant, Cloud rambled on, trying to make up for the accident. "Look, I have this button-up shirt in the closet that's way too big for me. I'll give you that one to wear. You can keep it, alright? Come with me."

Clearly, Sephiroth wasn't as upset about it as the blond. No, he wasn't upset at all. In fact, he appeared as though he expected it, welcomed it. Taking his sweet time, he followed Cloud deep to the back of the apartment.

"Damn it! Why does Sephiroth ALWAYS get the guys that I want?!" Zack blurted out, soon looking around to see if Tifa was anywhere in sight. He respected her relationship with her boyfriend, but nonetheless, he was attracted to him. They didn't have to have sex or anything although it would have been ideal. He was merely looking for a nice diversion from the usual men in his company. Cloud had been the cutest straight guy he'd ever met. He couldn't help but flirt with him. Zack was a harmless flirter.

Beside him, Angeal covered a hand over the younger man's dangerously loud mouth. "Cool it. Cloud is taken anyway. It's not like they can act on their compatibility. Anything beyond friends would be unacceptable."

This, at least, had put the brunette at ease.

-.-.-.-

"You don't have to leave. We're both men." Sephiroth was standing in the walk-in closet within Cloud and Tifa's master bedroom shirtless after receiving the top the blond handed him.

"Yeah, you're right." Cloud quickly agreed so that it didn't seem like he was too nervous to be in the same room. Rather than leaving at once, like a self-conscious woman would have, he turned and looked at the man head on. What he took in were muscular ripples of a tight washboard stomach. Sephiroth had yet to button the shirt he was given. "You have really nice abs." The blond tried to sound as masculine as possible while still being flattering.

The cool, casual approach made the General chuckle. "No need to be so distant. Have a closer look. Feel free to touch if you like. I've had straight men admire my body tactilely before."

Hearing Sephiroth mention his current sexual orientation put him at ease. He then felt it was safer to advance toward him.

"I think it's natural to want to look at or touch someone whose body you admire, be it male or female. Even I have wanted to feel a woman's breasts. That doesn't make me a hetero, Cloud."

The more Sephiroth's smooth, comforting and convincing words rung in his ears, the easier it was, the less guilty he felt the moment his fingers came into contact with that hard body. Tifa wouldn't have minded. Just because he liked the way the General's stomach looked, didn't automatically mean that he wanted him. It didn't mean he was cheating or anything like that. One touch didn't make him a homo. He was just admiring.

The silvered haired man followed the hand that stroked his abdomen go up and then down, slowly, then quite abruptly rough and fast. It was as if the blond was trying to get a handful of the tight, unyielding skin.

Cloud did, in fact, get a handful eventually. It was when his hand veered further up that he was able to grasp onto Sephiroth's pec muscles. The other man's chest was firm, yet supple. Because of its elasticity, Cloud kept squeezing the skin together in his fingers, fondling him as one would do a stacked female. Something about the body before him felt better to him than large drooping breasts or even the small round perky ones. What Sephiroth had was perfect. Everything was neat and firm, yet soft enough to take into his fingers and squeeze if he pinched hard enough. Even his nipples looked appealing. Curiosity drove him to tweak the pink specs of flesh. Feeling bold, he then rolled them around with his fingers the way he was used to doing with his voluptuous girlfriend. When he realized that he wasn't dealing with a big pair of breasts, Cloud limited his touch to the tip of his thumb. This was a way in which was nearly impossible for him to do to Tifa. Liking the newness of that experience, Cloud took his other thumb and stroked both nipples under his rigorous tips.

Not fighting the pleasurable sensations that Cloud was voluntarily giving him, Sephiroth let out a heated sigh and closed his eyes. Then a sound escaped him, "Ngh…"

Cloud found that he enjoyed such a delicate sound coming from a not so delicate man. He increased the intensity of his strokes. But before he could decide what to do next, the other brought his left hand up and took hold of Cloud's right. Sephiroth placed it down low, until it lay on the front of his pants where his newly attained excitement was.

Interested in what that part of the General's body felt like, the blond stroked it through the material, feeling its length, its hardness and its heat. Though curious, Cloud found that he was only comfortable enough to touch it through the material. He wasn't bold enough to unbutton and reach his hand within.

He didn't have to. Sephiroth was the one to close the distance between the area where their belts paralleled and grind his arousal hard into him.

Cloud's own response shocked him. First, he moaned. Then, felt himself start to become erect as well. An instant later, Sephiroth's lips were on his own, as well as his hot breathe, his tongue and saliva. It was all at the same time, happening so rapidly. Soon, a hand settled into the crack of his behind and slid upwards, just barley brushing against his anus.

That had in fact been Sephiroth intended target.

Unfamiliar to the feeling of one coming into contact with his rectal opening, Cloud shoved the man away and wiped his mouth, suddenly disgusted with everything that had just transpired. "This is stupid." The blond frowned and stormed out of the walk-in closet. Immediately upon leaving the other man, he hastened over to Tifa who was entertaining a pair of guests with her bubbly personality. "Tell everyone to leave." Cloud rudely interrupted. "I want you to end this party right now."

At first, she looked at him as if he was insane.

After receiving an unsatisfactory response, Cloud brushed passed her and took long strides to the center if the living room. "Excuse me….. EXCUSE ME! THIS PARTY IS OVER NOW. THANK YOU FOR COMING." The blonde sounded in a deep, vociferous tone so that all heard him.

The fifteen or so people that had showed up had all left in less than five minutes as Cloud ushered them to the door, even Zack. Tifa politely saw them out as well, supplementing her farewell with an earnest apology, especially to Sephiroth, which the sight of pissed her boyfriend off from small a distance away. The blond refused to go anywhere near him again.

When all had gone, Cloud retreated to their bed room.

Tifa was sure to head there without sparing so much as a second. "Cloud, that was so rude! And I was just starting to enjoy myself! Would you like to tell me why you suddenly felt the need to kick everyone out?"

"Something was off...I was starting to feel…strange."

"Oh, so you ruin my fun because you feel a little strange. Ok…" She let out and exaggerated sigh. "Sometimes you can be such a little pussy." Tifa pulled the little dress over her head and tossed it on the floor, before yanking a t-shirt out of the dresser drawer and throwing it on. She climbed into their bed, rather agitated.

That was when Cloud came up to her lying figure. He kneeled down on the plush sheets, spreading her legs open.

"Cloud… What in the…" She trailed off, bothered by the abrupt sexual initiation. "Don't you want to explain yourself first? I can't believe you're—"

Cloud slid off her red laced panties and opened her legs up as wide as they could go, simply staring down at her newly exposed parts.

She wasn't going to stop him, although it felt weird carrying on at such an inopportune moment. What she wasn't aware of, was that his sudden urgency for this came with a reason.

He needed confirmation. He had to make sure that he enjoyed doing things like this to a woman. As he gazed below at her pink folds, he wondered if he always liked the way it looked, the way it felt against his tongue, surrounding his fingers… or if he had been just trying to appease his darling girlfriend all along. No doubt he liked being inside of her, but there were the times he closed his eyes and didn't acknowledge her for the stunning woman that she was. He didn't have to look at her there while having sex. He didn't have to look at her anywhere. Cloud questioned whether he truly enjoyed the way that it smelled, tasted, and the shape of it.

Tentatively, he lowered his face down until his lips met her lips and the pleasure point in the middle. He stroked his tongue against her clitoris twice before she let out a high pitched sigh of ecstasy. Unfortunately, Cloud wasn't very aroused doing it, but he kept on with determination. Since becoming sexually active with her, he had never quite known what to do down there, but she seemed to like it when he licked and sucked on her clitoris. Sometimes he kissed it and bit it. Cloud did all of those things, and when he felt his jaw ache, he looked up at her. A sadness and worried looked in his pale blue eyes.

-.-.-.-

All hostility aside, Zack was the one to walk alongside the General as they departed. Stepping out of the elevator, he asked. "Did everything go alright? Cloud looked like he was pissed about something."

"Everything went perfectly. I planted the seed…"

"What do you mean?"

"I gave him a taste. But I think he bit off more than he could chew in one sitting."


	2. Chapter 2

"_Where are you going?"_

"_I'm…off to end my life."_

"_Why would you do that?" _

"_No one cares about me... Everyone is just using me. If I die, I hope that I wake up and find that this life was only just a dream. I hope to wake up to a better existence." _

"…_Don't say things like that... If you really do go away and never come back, I'll cry."_

"_Why would you cry? You don't even know me."_

"_It just… it isn't true… I care about you. I see you every day. I've been watching you for a long time. I think I might be in love with you."_

"_What a premature thing to say. You don't know what love is. You're just a child."_

"_No, I'm not!"_

"…_Then prove it." _

-.-.-.-

The next day during the wee hours of the morning, Cloud Strife awoke lying flat on his stomach on the living room sofa. He groaned, giving a stiff stretch while lingering in the blurry after images of his dream. It was hard for him to distinguish whether it was simply a delusion brought about by his subconscious mind or a distant memory. Either way, these blurry dreams he'd been having always left him with a bittersweet feeling. This was just one of many he had experienced while in deep sleep. It was like they were all fragments, hazy images of a vast puzzle, a puzzle he never cared enough to put together. Some were bits and pieces of muffled conversations, such as the one he just had. He didn't have the patience to decipher them and he could care less about dreams, premonitions, signs, the subconscious and whatnot. It was something Tifa would want to dig deep into, but not him, which was why he never told her about them.

Cloud shifted his position to rest on his side, when a soft hand caressed his shoulder. Taken by surprise, he flinched. "…Tifa?" The voice came out raspy and bewildered.

"What are you doing all the way out here?" His fiancé lowered down to sit on the backing of the couch, looking at him concerned.

The blond stretched slightly before sitting up. "I couldn't sleep and I didn't want to wake you up. You were out cold."

Tifa gave a satisfied grin. "Well, someone gave me quite the work out."

As if embarrassed, he looked away with a half smirk. "…Then I came out here sometime after two and started putting away some unpacked things. I was so on edge... I had to do something, you know?"

She walked around the side of the long furniture and settled next to her boyfriend, placing her fingers on his bare chest. "You're adjusting to a whole new place. It'll take some getting used to. This is a big city compared to the small little backwater town we grew up in. There are a lot of different things, people, and places you're going to have to be exposed to from here on out. It's a lot to take in right now, but I think you will be fine."

Cloud sighed, "Yeah…" He could have sworn that he heard her say that same thing before only with different words. Was he that much of a wimp where he needed the repeated reassurance of his soon to be wife?

Tifa darted her eyes over to where the clock was just above the flat screen TV, smiling when she realized they had some time before the both of them had to prepare for their respective occupations. "You know…" She started, worming her fingers into the tight confines of his boxer briefs, "You never told me what your problem was last night."

He permitted her entry. After four years, he was quite used to her touch, no matter the place she chose to feel him. "Um…well, I was just feeling a little crowded in our new apartment. It isn't that big…and there was just so much going on. I didn't feel like dealing with things anymore."

Her hand stopped as she was confused as to what her boyfriend had to put up with during a party she herself had been the host of. "What things?"

Cloud didn't know quite how to put it. The words came out clumsily and rather impolitely elucidated. "The uh, well….I don't know, Tifa. All of those faggots…"

She abruptly removed her roaming fingers from his lap, even though he was already becoming hard. "They're my friends, Cloud. Why would you call them that? I thought you were okay with gay people."

Images of his experience meeting Sephiroth and the company he brought along with him flooded into his mind. They were recollections that left an unpleasant, bitterness in his mouth. Mortification and shame threatening to rise up and consume him whole, he shook his head, dismissing the disturbing images. "I'm fine so long as they aren't hitting on me and touching me. Last night, I was so disgusted. You have no idea… I just wanted all of your fag—I mean…. I just wanted everyone to leave."

Of course Tifa knew how her friends could be. Zack especially was quite the predator, but after getting to know him she realized how harmless he was. Fair had even come on to her when they first met despite how young she was. Looking back on it now, it hadn't been serious at all. With the SOLDIER's short attention span, he often went after girls and lost interest quickly. Being bisexual, that didn't exclude male conquests. Tifa could easily see Zack harmlessly pursuing her straight lover. "Can't you take a compliment? They must have just thought you were cute. That is just how some gay guys are, especially Zack. I always talk about you and they probably just felt familiarized by the conversations I've had with them about you, that's all."

Cloud became completely silent a second or two before letting her know his thoughts on the matter. "…You know what? You have no right to talk to them about me! I don't know what you've been telling them, but they have this idea that it's ok to get all up close and friendly. It's really gross how they just flaunt themselves like everyone loves and accepts their lifestyle. It's sick." That famed General everyone seemed to be so in love with was worst of all. "And that Sephiroth… There's just something about him I can't stand."

Tifa crossed her arms with a pouty expression, at odds of whose side to take; her best friends' or her bigot fiancé's. "Cloud…"

He sighed, feeling guilty about how he talked about the people she cared about. "Look, I'm sorry… I hope that I didn't ruin your entire night."

Her mood soon changed when there was mention of the prior night. All she could recall at first was the time they spent rolling in the sheets. "Not so much….I think _things_ turned out pretty well. Don't you agree?" She massaged the palm of her hand in his lap again, teasing him.

"Y…yeah, I guess so." He awkwardly removed her fingers from his lower body. "Look, I gotta get ready to go. I have to be at the ShinRa building before the sun comes up." Cloud stood up before bending down to give her a peck on her unprepared lips.

-.-.-.-

After going through the painstaking process of checking in and getting a tour of the vast establishment around five thirty in the morning, he was beginning to get hungry. He was told that breakfast was at six and wanted to know what his girlfriend was thinking when she decided to throw a late night party the day before he was scheduled to visit the ShinRa building bright and early. It was a good thing he wasn't a big fan of sleeping through the night. He never received more than six hours of sleep and still managed to function normally each day, although on occasion he could get ornery.

The tough looking SOLDIER 3nd Class who had given him a tour, considerately informed him where the mess hall was before leaving him, so Cloud was on his own from there on out for a while. Upon his arrival, he already felt lost. That is, he knew where he was due to the overpowering smell of coffee and food, but he didn't know where to start. There was a smorgasbord full of the most delicious looking dishes and foods Cloud had ever seen. By the back of the dining hall was a narrow, dark pathway some men entered in, some men leaving with a large plate in hand or a bag. There was an empty dessert stand a distance away from him as well. He was beginning to wonder if he was in the right place. The place he was in looked nothing like a cafeteria. More like a busy restaurant where all the guests helped themselves.

And that was when he set eyes on a tall man with long silver hair, dressed in all leather. Without having to see his full profile, Cloud knew exactly who it was. "Shit…" Instinctively, the blond turned around so that the man couldn't see his face. In doing so, he had bumped right into another.

"Cloud?"

Strife almost didn't recognize the other, "I'm sorry, I…" When he made out who the person was, he recognized them and lightened up, greeting him with a forced smile. "Uh, hey!"

The professionally dressed man held out his hand. "Lazard, Director of SOLDIER. I'm sure you have forgotten my name since last night." The Director smiled, letting the new recruit know that he was a friend in this overflowing realm of infantrymen and SOLDIERs he didn't know.

The cadet shook his gloved hand, feeling a superior air coming from the Director.

"Is everything alright? Finding things here fine?" Lazard asked, concerned due to his somewhat close affiliation with his friends Sephiroth and Tifa. Since neither were around, he wanted to ensure that Cloud was getting along okay.

"Yeah, I was just about to leave. I don't know if I can afford any of this food and it's pretty crowded in here. I was just going to grab a bagel and sit outside somewhere."

The Director furrowed his brows in worry. "Oh no, you don't have to do that! We have a table, so you can sit with us. And the buffet is free, Cloud. You're fine. Everything else is a bit pricy but only because it's better quality food." He spoke of the deserts and the little room in the back where mostly 2nd and 1st Class SOLDIERs got their meals.

"…what do you mean?"

"All of the food is great quality, but you have to pay for the gourmet dishes, specially ordered and prepared food like vegan, organic, gluten free, vegetarian, low fat… But that's usually what the SOLDIERs go for since they have the money to blow. We all eat pretty well here. I guess it's because you never know when you're going to meet your end on the field." Lazard explained casually.

Cloud had to check to see if the man had truly meant what he said. "What?" Although he had a pretty good idea of what he was signing up for, the thought of dying on duty still sent chills up and down his spine. It was quite a harsh reality.

"Hahaha! Don't worry. We take so many precautions to avoid that from happening. I mean there are potions, elixirs, phoenix downs, spells. It's quite rare that men here go down for good. But ShinRa Corp. makes sure that while their men are alive, they do enjoy excellent meals and eat their fill every day. Come, grab a plate and sit with us." He insisted with a personable, warm grin.

"Okay… Okay, I will." Feeling compelled to take his superior up on his hospitality, Cloud had gotten two waffles made fresh and dressed them in butter, whipped cream, strawberries and syrup before following Lazard to the table him and his friends sat. Angeal, Reno, and Zack were there talking amongst themselves with a variety of different dishes set in front of them. They got silent when the blond showed up.

Cloud made sure to sit across from Zack rather than next to him.

Oddly, at first, the conversation wasn't bad or uncomfortable at all. His breakfast was amazing and he had completely forgotten that he ever saw Sephiroth's mug. At ease with his company, Cloud carried on, merrily engaging in their talks about the military. "I don't know, guys. Honestly, I feel like a late bloomer, joining the service so late in the game. I'm already twenty-one and you guys joined when you were in your teens. At this rate, I'm not going to make 1st until I'm an old man."

Angeal was the first to comment, "The worst thing you could do is curse yourself with words like that when you haven't even started basic training yet. Who knows? You might have a knack for fighting and get promoted fairly quickly."

Cloud had a negative retort. "That's unlikely… I mean, Zack made 1st when he was eighteen and joined when he was even younger than that. It took him over four years to get where he is today."

The veteran SOLDIER 1st Class refused to let the young man get any further in his pity party. "But what you don't know is that Zack used to be a restless puppy who could never understand the meaning of discipline and hard work. He had a serious case of ADHD and it didn't start to settle down until his first month as 2nd Class."

"Angeal…." Fair mumbled, embarrassed.

"If you are focused, I believe you will make it to SOLDIER in a good year. Especially with how advanced they are now with mako injections and simulation training. Things are a lot better off now than when Zack was just starting out." Angeal reinforced with a positive tone. Still, he wanted the new recruit to remain aware of another possible outcome. "…But remember, Cloud, not everyone makes it all the way to 1st, especially in such a short period of time. Only an elite few of us have and you'd be doing well financially and in ranking if you made it to 2nd. Unless you become crippled, there's no doubt in my mind that you won't make it. There certainly are plenty of 2nds in your age bracket. You should also take it into account that Sephiroth, Genesis and I are all in our early thirties. Zack is an exception."

After listening to everything his senior had to say, Cloud realized that whether he like it or not, the odds were in his favor. "Wow… I guess it may not take me too long to get where I want to be after all. Getting promoted to 2nd doesn't sound so bad at all, but that's not going to stop me from pushing myself to go even further…" If he made it to at least 2nd by the time he was twenty four, then he could buy Tifa the nice house that she deserved or even a big size condo. They could have their wedding with that sort of accumulative positive income coming in month after month.

"Anyway…" Zack was sure to chime in. "You should hit me up sometime for some one-on-one training. I can teach you The Zack Fair Special Technique!"

Reno chuckled, while guzzling some coffee. He nearly choked.

Angeal raised an eyebrow. "What technique is that?"

Cloud was also very doubtful of the youngest SOLDIER 1st Class's skills. "I don't know… We're so close in age. Are you sure you have enough experience to instruct me?"

Since Zack was young and known for being a hyperactive wannabe hero with the attention span of a puppy, no one ever really took him seriously, though he was in fact a competent fighter who could get the job done. Fair had even bested Sephiroth ONCE. "Well, if you're not comfortable with me, Sephiroth…" He pointed to the man he spoke of. "…has a training class. You guys really connected the other night…remember?" He said with a hint of a suggestive tone. Since the General wasn't the type to kiss and tell, he had no inkling of what happened that night in the closet. He simply had a feeling that the two had gotten better acquainted what with the amount of chemistry they had. "You seem to be comfortable with him, AND he has plenty of experience…"

There Sephiroth was, taking it upon himself to walk right up to him… "Hello, Cloud." The General greeted energetically, particularly pleased to see the blond at their table.

Cloud was not so pleased, "Hi…." He had a welcoming expression all the same.

Zack prattled on, clueless to how the blond's liveliness had plummeted. "It's for men here who are brave enough to be taught and instructed by him personally. It could really help improve your fighting style and skills. And yeah, I wasn't so lucky to have had access to that when I was younger either."

Angeal nudged his dimwitted apprentice, sending him a greatly displeased glare. "You had me, remember?"

"Oops… Yeah, how could I forget?" Zack covered for himself. Luckily, Angeal had soon gotten over it.

Like the night before, Sephiroth took a seat beside Cloud. Without a plate or drink in hand, he addressed the blond, capturing his entire attention and focus. "So, Cloud, how do you like ShinRa headquarters?"

"It's phenomenal. Really, it is…" Somehow, he simply couldn't look away from those emerald eyes. He instantly forgot why he abhorred this man so much.

Angeal turned to look at Zack to insight amusement. There were times both him and Zack shared the same opinions of what was comical and laughter worthy and what was not. The manner in which Cloud spoke to Sephiroth compared to everyone else was hilarious in both their eyes. The country boy even gazed at the man differently. Angeal and Zack both snickered to one another.

"Will you be coming to my training class?" Sephiroth inquired.

"Yes." Cloud answered obediently, without so much as thinking before he spoke.

"That means I can teach you right at the very beginning so that you will have perfect form. I usually teach in a group, but I can instruct you privately so that you can have the most invigorating experience."

Zack and Angeal wanted to fall out onto the floor laughing until their stomachs hurt. Even then, they couldn't keep a straight face. They knew how predatory Sephiroth was and Cloud was just falling right into the palm of his hand. They knew that everything the seasoned General did and said was scientifically guaranteed to capture both the young man's attention and his affection. The manner in which Sephiroth positioned his body was even done on purpose. His shoulders were turned slightly toward the blond when glancing in his direction rather than look at him head on to physically refrain from coming on too strong. He would gaze at Cloud with unwavering eyes and look only in his eyes. His smile never left his face….

Feeling a tad bit exposed and favored amongst the other men, Cloud looked down and shook his head. "No….you shouldn't have to put aside time to instruct me. I know you must have so many more important things to do as the General…" He turned him down politely.

"I think you're one of those important things I could be doing." Answered Sephiroth much too quickly for anyone to be comfortable with.

Feeling as though the conversation was getting a tad too bold and explicit, Reno cut in cursing, "Oh fuck… Shit, it's getting kinda late." He leaned over the table before pushing himself up and standing.

Angeal followed his example. "Yeah, Zack and I have to go train."

"Yeah, I'm just gonna tag along with Angeal." Zack added. "So, Cloud, good luck with your training. I hope you get promoted faster than I did, and uh…I believe you have found exactly what you need to do that." He winked before leaving with Angeal and Reno.

Cloud glanced shyly at Sephiroth before facing the brunette and the rest of their leaving company. "Thanks Zack. Bye guys."

Lazard got up too, "It's good to see you Cloud. I have work obligations as well. Will you be alright from here?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Cloud gave the Director half a smile.

"Of course he will be alright." Sephiroth interrupted assertively.

Lazard nodded before frowning bizarrely at the General. He soon left their side and made his exit as well.

"You're fine, right?" The General asked.

Cloud nodded, "Yes. Yes, I'm perfect."

"I hope I didn't offend you last night."

"No…No, you didn't offend me." Cloud smiled, feeling his heart leap into his throat, thinking it more than bold of the man to even bring it up. He wished to leave the thought deeply submerged within the untouched chasms of his mind. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm not…." He shook his head and shrugged. There was no way he could look into the other male's eyes comfortably and tell him that he didn't enjoy caressing him the other night and that he was a positively straight man. He couldn't lie to those eyes, the eyes that he couldn't look away from no matter how hard he tried. "I'm not…!" Cloud felt frustrated and humored by his own actions at the same time. Telling a man something shouldn't have been so difficult.

"Quite used to the city yet?" Sephiroth finished for him with a gentle, kind expression.

At this point, Cloud didn't even know what he had been trying to say. He was absolutely dumbstruck. All he could do was return the smile the General sent him, like a reflection in a mirror. After seconds more of staring at the man's white teeth, Cloud looked down, knowing that if he broke their locked gaze, he could speak again. "I have to go now." He shook his head, forcing himself to remember all the important things in his life again. "I haven't called Tifa yet. She's probably wondering how I am. If I can't catch her here in the building today, I should at least call her and tell her that I'm making out okay."

"It's still very early, Cloud." The gay man informed, a bit annoyed at the mention of Tifa.

"That's even better. You know how needy girls are. She will be thrilled to hear from me. It's better that I do it now than wait till late…" That was when he picked up on the inaccuracy of his words. Since Sephiroth was interested in men, than he probably didn't know how girls were. He felt so silly for saying such a thing…

Sephiroth wrapped his strong fingers around the blond's arm and gave him a firm squeeze before stroking him. "Don't be so tense. Relax, Cloud it's only seven."

Somehow, the heated sensations Cloud felt on his arm were the other touched him had gone straight to the center of his lap. "I know, but I need to let her know that I thought of her, so that she doesn't have to worry, okay?" Rather than smiling like he had been since they began talking, he sent him a firm, serious look. When he was around him, his body might as well have been split in two, each part doing something of its own accord, something opposing the other. One half of him was thrilled to be in this man's powerful presence and even his hormones were helpless against his soothing company and irresistible charm. The other half felt compelled to think of Tifa, of their home, their bright future and get as far away from this man as he possibly could before Sephiroth demolished all of his hopes and dreams in one fell swoop.

Cloud knew, in the back of his mind, that Sephiroth might have the power to corrupt and destroy him if he didn't take the necessary precautions and distance himself from him as quickly as he could. Simply being in the same room was too much to bear, too close, too dangerous. Yet he was seated next to him, like the fated night they met, his presence energetically making his entire body go hot and his head jumbled with ideas and thoughts he was mortified to accept. His own feelings defied his own actions because even as he sat there with a defiant expression, mentioning his current lover as though he thought only of her, his lower body was stirring so unbearably that the confines of his pants had become painful. At such a time when his body was beyond his control, he needed those heated and excited sensations to vanish at that moment more than ever. "I just….I have to show her that I care."

Sephiroth sighed, looking down briefly in thought. "….I respect that. How about I walk you out?" The older man generously offered, glancing at the blond.

Cloud nodded and he had somehow managed to cover himself while making his way out of the place. Once they were both out in the quiet hall, he turned to the taller man. "Thank you."

The General looked down at his subordinate with slight amusement. "…For what, insisting that I walk you out while you have that hard-on?"

"Um…." Cloud looked down, humiliated. "This is embarrassing."

The man had a true smile of enjoyment. "You still have a hard time controlling your hormones. I think it's sexy…"

It simply wasn't physically possible for him to look up at the General without experiencing an increase in discomfort. He didn't know how another man could have such an effect on him. Cheeks turning flushed, he fumbled with the front of his pants to try and see if he could make his excitement less noticeable.

Sephiroth only stared silent and observing before speaking in his deep commanding tone. "Are you busy tonight? Would you like to come to Vortex?"

"What's Vortex?" Cloud locked onto those cat-like eyes again after finding the courage.

"It's a club me and my friends like to go to on our nights off when we are on standby from missions and the like. Sometimes we just like to go out, have fun and let loose while we have the opportunity."

The blond looked back down again, feeling a bad premonition. "No thanks, actually…"

The General still sported his arrogant smile. "Alright then. Let me know if you change your mind." It was as if he knew he was going to get what he wanted in the end. Sephiroth reacted in the same way as if Cloud had accepted his invitation.

Cloud, on the other hand, hadn't picked up on his overconfidence.

-.-.-.-

Later that evening when Cloud had the freedom to roam the building on his own, he went down to the lobby at the front desk where he found his fiancé laughing and engaging in friendly banter with another female receptionist. Both were dressed in neatly fitting black skirt suits. Tifa lit up when she saw her lover coming up to where they were stationed. "Hey!" She exclaimed, "How are things so far? I see they haven't given you a uniform to wear yet. …Must be a slow day?"

"They don't plan on putting me to work here until a week from now when my basic training starts. Until then, they told me to make the best of the free time I do have now. Today they gave me the 3rd degree. They asked me a bunch of questions, had me sign things, wavers, contracts, insurance papers, and even write a will. Then, they conducted some tests… I'm probably missing a few other things I went through, but it was a painstaking process and right now I'm just relieved it's all over and done with for the day. I don't know if I'll be off the hook tomorrow either...but we'll see." Cloud leaned the side of his hip against the slab of granite separating him from his lover, mentally exhausted. The military was quite serious business. It took all that he had to undergo that day to realize that.

Tifa wrinkled her pouty lips in worry. "I'm sorry, Cloud…." In that moment she realized that she hadn't yet introduced him to the woman beside her, the one she worked alongside with almost every day. "Oh, Cloud, this is Yuffie. She's a colleague of mine and also a great friend."

Again, the congenial woman was introducing him to another one of the people that she knew. Sure, it put his mind at ease to know that Tifa was mostly surrounded by people who loved her, but it also reminded him of that fact that he was still finding himself, still getting used to the big city and establishing mere acquaintances. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Yuffie." He politely greeted, shaking her hand.

Yuffie blushed with a sideways grin on her childlike face as Cloud had her hand in his. The man was oblivious to her blushing response.

He ran his fingers through blond spikes. "Tifa, I came here to talk to you about something."

"Is everything okay?" She asked, taking on a worried look.

"Yeah, it's just that… Sephiroth asked me if I wanted to go out with him and his friends later tonight. I would, but when I thought about it, I realized that I should be spending time with you as much as possible since I won't really be able to in a week. I have to undergo nine weeks of intensive training with no home visits and I know I need to be with you while I have the chance…" Cloud explained quite anxiously.

"Did you and Sephiroth manage to patch things up?" It was a rather laid back response her lover hadn't seen coming.

"Yeah, you could say that..."

"Then go! Please! Go out and make friends. Have a good time before training. We have the next couple of nights to be together! Plus, you and I have the rest of our lives to spend time with each other. I want you to be more outgoing and independent from me. That was what moving out here was about too, you know. I don't want to be the only person you spend time with. Go, PLEASE go out with them!" The beautiful brunette, insisted energetically from behind the desk.

Cloud didn't know how he felt about it. "No, I should be with you. We just moved here and I need to be with you tonight—"

"Cloud….Go." was all that she said.

There was no accepting her answer. "Why don't you come with me?"

"I have to work late and besides, he invited you, not me. Just go out with them. It's probably a guys scene anyway. I wouldn't fit in."

Cloud couldn't help but wonder how she could automatically assume that he would fit in anywhere he went with Sephiroth. However, in the end, he had no other choice but to comply with her firm orders. She left him with no other choice. "…alright."

When the blond had left his fiancé, leaving her and Yuffie alone at the front desk, the short haired younger girl turned to her after pretending that she hadn't overheard their conversation. "As fine as he is, you're letting him go out alone?" Yuffie asked in immense disbelief.

"I'm making him go. He doesn't know many people. He's kind of a loner. The city is a huge change for him. I'm hoping the locals will rub off on him and he'll become more social. As wonderful of a lover as he is, I don't want him to be up under me his whole adult life. This will be good for him. Besides, I trust him. We trust each other. I also believe that being around Sephiroth will be good for him."

-.-.-.-

_Before confirming the plans with Sephiroth, I called Tifa one more time just to make sure. Maybe my guilty conscience was making me act so paranoid and uncertain. I wanted to make sure that she genuinely wanted me to go out and I wanted her to know that I didn't need to go, nor did I have much of a desire to go. I checked back with her giving her that impression because I myself would actually rather go out in public with Sephiroth than go home to her and I didn't want her to know. I even mentioned the whole gay thing to her again, insisting that I still wasn't comfortable with it, when in reality I couldn't be more in awe of it. Of course, she replied telling me how harmless all her friends were and that Sephiroth is just being so nice to me because he doesn't want me to feel left out. Yeah, right…. Tifa has this sweet innocent impression that Sephiroth thinks I'm some kind of reclusive, shy, inexperienced boy from the country side who just wants to fit in in the big city. And it's all because she has no knowledge of that night. She hasn't seen the way he looks at me. She hasn't seen how close he positions himself next to my body whenever we are near each other, the way he smiles as if he knows…he just knows he's going to get what he wants from me and that there is no doubt in his mind that I'm already his. Tifa has no idea about the kiss... She knows nothing… And I don't count on telling her. _

Cloud walked into the club with the man by his side. There was one thing he noticed instantly upon entering the sea of people, flashing lights and thumping music. "There are only men here…"

"Yes, Vortex is an all men's club." Sephiroth took the younger male by the shoulder and led him inside. They went past all of the people toward the back of the establishment where a few familiar faces lay. Beyond the bar and dance floor were tables and private booths where you had to climb a considerable amount of stairs to reach the platform that overlooked the whole club. At one booth all the way in the far left corner were his friends.

"Hi." Cloud greeted everyone.

They all returned him with a rather confused greeting, but he was welcome nonetheless. Only Zack looked at him with amusement. "So the blond bombshell joins us yet again."

This wasn't what Cloud had expected from the brunette SOLDIER. If Tifa's words had held any validity to them, then the man would have lost interest in him already, but still he fixed his deep azure eyes laden with great desire on him. "…Sephiroth invited me." Cloud sat down sandwiched between Sephiroth and Fair because that was the only space left in the booth.

"I thought Cloud would like it here." said the General with a hint of playful scorn in his voice.

"Very funny, General." murmured a not so amused Angeal.

The silver haired man only smirked and handed the blond a tall glass of a brown alcoholic beverage filled to the brim with large chunks of ice.

Zack however, had shortly lost interest in the blond and was soon looking around frantically as though at odds with what to look at and what to do, or rather, _who_ to do. "Oh my god... There are so many hot guys here." It was as everyone always said about the restless SOLDIER. He was quick to go after any man he felt even mildly attracted to. In this large vicinity full of gay males, he felt overwhelmed. "H-Hi…" He said to a man making eye contact with him, who had walked all the way to their table.

"Hi." The man responded. Then, he immediately dove in for a kiss with Reno.

The red haired Turk pulled the male closer, deepening the kiss. When it was over, he got up. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom. I'll be back later." That was code for: [I'm going to fuck some guy's brains out who I barely know. Be back when it's over.]

Zack leaned over on the table, with a sour, discouraged look on his face.

Angeal patted him on the back.

"I don't get it…." Zack whined. "I mean, what does Reno have that I don't have?"

Lazard answered stoically, "It has to do with his attitude."

Cloud was ardently listening in and looking at them talk as though it pained him to miss a word...

"I've got attitude." Zack retorted.

Then Sephiroth gave his opinion, "That isn't what he meant. Lazard was saying that it's because of his confidence."

Angeal nodded, "I agree."

Zack had to disagree. "No, it's because he's so dumb and dumb people are too dumb to be insecure."

"Zack!" Angeal scolded. "Be nice..."

"It's confidence. I'm telling you it's because of the size of his cock." Lazard further explained. "That's where most of a man's confidence lay."

Cloud's light sky blue eyes widened as he gawked at the supposedly professional man make such a lewd statement. He then heard Sephiroth chuckle under his breath. Was this how all gay men talked amongst themselves? If so, he knew that he didn't belong there. He simply couldn't relate and frankly did not want to mention any man's penis regardless of the size. Even so, he remained put, observing further. It was all so new and foreign to his mind, therefore he dare not look away.

Despite his own accusations, Zack appeared to be too dumb to understand. "I don't get it. What do you mean his cock?"

"Reno has the best cock in Midgar and he knows it." The blond haired Director stated.

Sephiroth coughed loudly, outwardly in disagreement.

Rude was slowly nodding, "…probably among the top 5. It is a…very nice size and shape."

"Yup, it's long with perfect contours. Not too thick." Lazard seemed to have a particularly detailed explanation of the man's body part and wasn't shy in making such a statement in the presence of his romantic partner, Tseng.

"Yeah, but is it circumcised?" Tseng, who was quiet before, inquired. He had a look that insinuated that he wouldn't be impressed with a male genital that wasn't circumcised.

"What does a wutanese guy care? Your kind never get cut." Zack went off at the mouth before thinking.

Angeal folded his arms and lowered his head in mortification. Sometimes, his protégé's choice of words were downright rude, in which case being around him became unbearable.

Tseng scowled before his lover answered. "My baby just happens to be very much circumcised, thank you." Lazard placed his hand under the table on top of the long black haired man's lap. Tseng didn't respond and simply continued to frown at Fair.

"Does a circumcised dick automatically mean you're going to get laid more? Wait, who here is circumcised?" Zack, who was not circumcised frantically asked in a panic.

Lazard, Sephiroth, and Tseng all raised their hand. Rude meekly positioned his hand in the air, then his other, claiming that it was on Reno's behalf.

"Fuck…" The only other uncircumcised guy, besides Angeal, cursed before locking onto Cloud. "Well, at least you and me have one thing in common for sure."

Whether he had gotten his foreskin chopped off or not, Cloud refused to let these men in on his personal business. He didn't know if it would end up circulating out there in the world of gossiping gay men.

"But, damn, all of you guys _do_ have sex way more. Maybe I should go for the big snip? Yes? No?" Zack was mentally weighing out the pros and cons.

"No, Zack. Just...shut up." reprimanded Angeal, who also sent the unruly puppy an annoyed glare. "You're getting on everyone's nerves and I think you're making Cloud uncomfortable. If you want to score so badly then I will take you home tonight myself."

The young SOLDIER's only reaction to the older man's offer was a look of disbelief. Then, he got quiet. For the first time that night, he had nothing to say. You could see it in his shift in behavior that he was quite powerless in the face of Angeal's sexual proposal. The man had a certain prowess over him. If there was one sure fire, effective way to put Zack in his place, it was with sex. When sex with his mentor was dangled in front of him, he morphed into this obedient, well behaved canine that would do anything, even sit still in silence, for that chance. Angeal knew that it was because he was the young man's first. He was Zack's first in most things which made him special, which was a thought that made Angeal feel good to have such power over him.

"Looks like someone's happy…" Director Lazard announced, when peering over at the particularly noticeable bulge in Zack's pants. The SOLDIER trousers did nothing to hide an erection.

Cloud turned to Sephiroth suddenly. "You know, I think I'm just going to go get some air..." Though he had been sitting next to Zack, he could care less what state his pants were in. He instantly stood up, fixing his eyes in the opposite direction.

"Is everything alright?" The General worriedly looked over the other.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thanks." Without wasting a moment, Cloud shuffled down the steps and into swarm of gyrating body parts, vibrating beat tones, lights and colors.

Angeal turned to his silver haired colleague with an accusatory look, "You know he's not coming back, right?"

A low chuckled grumbled from the depths of the General's throat as he took a sip of the untouched drink he had set before Cloud. "I do not expect him to." He leaned backing, smirking triumphantly as though he had foreseen the boy's reaction and intended for him to act as such.

Angeal leaned forward. "Why in the world did you bring him out here in the first place?"

Sephiroth did not answer. Instead, his grin grew sinister.

His overbearing friend came to his own conclusion. "Don't tell me you're trying to turn him into a flaming fag, because that just isn't going to work. I'm surprised at you! Go find someone else to sleep with, or are you that bored and hard up for a challenge?"

"You have the wrong impression. I am not trying to turn him into anything that isn't already a part of him." The General spoke in a serious tone.

Angeal refused to side with his friend on this matter. "You're playing with fire, you know that? The boy is about to get married. If you cared about Tifa even a little bit, then you would stop this little sport of yours right now."

The tallest man stood up, towering over all who sat at the table. "...You're mistaken. I'm doing this due to the love that I have for Tifa!" That was when he reached over the table and grabbed Angeal by the shirt, yanking him forward, leaning in so that their noses were inches from colliding. "And this is not a fucking sport to me… Everything that has happened has happened because of necessity! It would only be a sham of a wedding if the two of them…." He paused, his temperament calming down all of a sudden when soon he reverted back to the cool and composed General. "No…. I will see to it myself that the two of them can wed as soon as humanly possible." Sephiroth then released his ferocious grip on the other male's shirt and sauntered away as it nothing had happened.

"I would like to know what he's smoking…" Reno cynically commented, arriving in time to see the General's stunt.

"Shut up, Reno." told a disgruntled Angeal as he smoothed out his shirt in an attempt to fix the area that had been stretched out of shape.

-.-.-.-

Cloud bustled passed the throng of men when a short haired brunette came up from behind him. "Hi there, stud." The stranger said. Cloud answered with a flat out. "No, just no. No, thank you." And with that awkward experience, Cloud pushed his way out of the club and stomped over to the station outside. He boarded the first train home, too humiliated to tell any one of them of his whereabouts or even that he left. After all, he didn't know why he went with Sephiroth in the first place. The man was obviously trying to turn him despite accusing Zack of doing the same thing. Though he kissed the General, he knew that it was a mistake. They could never be together. He had Tifa. He wasn't a homosexual. It was only the lifestyle that fascinated him that made him want to be around Sephiroth and his friends. Being gay wasn't even an option….because if he were to become gay, then he would have far too much to undo…

_That night when I went home to Tifa, I went straight to bed. As I lay, holding her in my arms, I felt so completely stupid… I had absolutely no business at all going out with Sephiroth._


	3. Chapter 3

"So, do you like it here at ShinRa HQ? What do you think so far?" A new acquaintance of Cloud's asked. The man was a SOLDIER 3rd Class and was helping him get fitted into his brand new infantryman uniform. There were so many perplexing bits and pieces to the outfit that another one's assistance was required. Since the SOLDIER knew how everything went and was supposed to fit, he walked the new recruit through the process with ease.

Cloud looked into the long mirror alongside the locker room wall, adjusting some of the armor. "I don't know. The building is certainly nice and flashy, but I'm not entirely sure about anything more just yet." The reply came apathetically and unenthused. "They don't start putting me to work until next week."

The other gave him a strange look through the mirror. "So, you don't mind…?"

"What?"

"All the fags… They seem to flock to the military. You know, 'cause the environment is all male. There are a lot of them too. ShinRa doesn't care what your sexual orientation is so long as you can fight. It's a pain for the straight guys though. We have to watch our ass, literally. I mean… they seem pretty okay till you're in the locker room or the showers. …Aren't they always checking you out and stuff?"

Cloud turned away from the mirror and faced the other male. "No…! I mean…. I wouldn't give myself that much credit." Though it was true Zack and Sephiroth had undoubtedly come on to him, he didn't think that the advances of two men counted as a significant amount.

"Ha! Well I guess if you aren't bothered by it, you'll make out okay." The SOLDIER 3rd Class plopped down on one of the long benches behind Cloud. Arms folded across his chest and a leg swung over one knee, he proceeded to prattle aimlessly. "You know Sephiroth is gay. He's out of the closet. The whole world knows now and it's like women love him even more for it. He's a hero and everyone has all this respect for him, but I don't know… I like him and all but it still gives me the creeps when I see him walking on the SOLDIER floor. I keep thinking 'that macho super human SOLDIER likes to take it in the ass?' It's a fucking disturbing image, you know?" He shook his head as if in pure loathing.

The blond, who had said nothing for a full minute before locking eyes onto the other, spoke in a low serious tone. "…Don't talk about him like that. You don't even know him."

"I know but for real… fudge packing is so seriously gross." He shrugged his shoulders, opposed to opening himself up to any other opinion or belief.

"There are some women out there who have anal sex... Are they so unacceptable to you too?" There was a touch of hostility in his voice. Cloud couldn't get himself under control no matter how much he was initially opposed to defying his superiors.

The homophobic man shot up from where he sat and glared back at the blond. "You know what? You're obviously in cahoots with all those faggots. I don't even know why I would waste my time talking to you." The man had no idea who he was accusing.

Cloud took it upon himself to enlighten the male of the true reality. "I'm engaged to my beautiful girlfriend. What do you know?"

The SOLDIER laughed derisively, not backing down from the fruitless argument. He was eager to get his point across, eager to flaunt his pride and ego. "I know your girl better watch out because her boyfriend has an appetite for cock!"

Maddened by the response, the man in lower rank took his superior's shirt in both his hands and yanked him close, his stare laced with venom. "Say that again, you piece of shit…. Say it again! I dare you!"

The SOLDIER 3rd didn't hold back. "You're a big flaming faggot cocksucker just like Sephiroth!" He shouted, spraying spit in the wake of his hateful, hysteric accusations.

In that moment, the worst possible SOLDIER made an appearance. Both their heads snapped in the direction of the strong presence the intruder possessed with fear and curiosity… Sephiroth was feet away, wiping his hands dry with a paper towel by the sink. It was unmistakable that the General had heard every bit of what had just been said, yet he smirked as if ignorant to the entire subject of the conversation.

After boldly issuing out such insults, the homophobe had gone completely pale in the face of the intended target of his foul language. "Tch..." Even so he wore a resentful glare.

Cloud was just letting the man out of his grasp when the older man's commanding voice spoke out to him.

"Go ahead, Cloud. I want to see how you discipline this insolent 3rd Class... You have my permission." The General said with a wide, ill-boding grin.

Instead of giving him what he really deserved, Cloud simply shoved the other into the bench behind him and glared down at the SOLDIER until the 3rd awkwardly collected himself up off the ground and made his way out of the locker room.

After artfully tossing his used towels into a trash bin, Sephiroth walked up to the merciful infantryman with a displeased expression. "You were too easy on him."

Cloud, on the other hand, already had his thoughts on another matter entirely. It was his first time seeing Sephiroth since he abandoned him and his friends at that club the night prior. "I'm…sorry about last night….. I shouldn't have walked out on you guys without letting you know that I left. I feel really…stupid." He looked down, unable to maintain eye contact comfortably for too long. "I think I freaked out, and NOT because it was a gay club, but because I knew I had no business there…."

Silver brows knitted together in slight exasperation. "Sounds like a contradiction."

"Huh?"

"You said you were freaked out because you had no business there… Was it that you had no business there because you were at a gay club surrounded by gay men? Would you have felt less out of place if we had been in a regular club?"

"….No." Realizing the slight error in his words, Cloud shifted his eyes to the ground. In the midst of feeling embarrassment for having said such a thing, he soon spoke words of redemption. "They don't have any clubs in Nibelheim… But I apologize if I offended you. That's not what I meant. I—"

Sephiroth soon cut him off, his voice as powerful and assertive as ever. "You could never offend me, Cloud. Don't apologize. You don't have to censor your speech to spare my feelings. I understand. You're not gay."

The engaged young man nodded. "Yeah… I'm…I'm not gay…." For some reason, Cloud lowered his head again as though he felt guilty. He could feel an unnatural taste on the tip of his tongue as he uttered those words. Only Sephiroth knew precisely why…

"…Would you like to come to my training class? It's tomorrow."

Naturally, the blond hesitated. "I don't know…I have to check with Tifa…" Cloud told him since he had obligations to his fiancé before basic training started and consumed all of his time. There was one other concern weighing heavily on his mind however, "Sephiroth… is…is it a gay training class?"

At first, the General's face lit up in amusement then it went completely dark. "No… It's for straight men. Straight men are the only ones who have a place in the military and the only ones who can fight. You can come unless you suddenly decided to be a homosexual. Then you're exempt. Homosexuals have no combat skills. But come as you are and you're welcome to showcase your heterosexual prowess."

Cloud felt his cheeks become warm in embarrassment after being blatantly made fun of. After all, Zack had so enthusiastically informed him that all the most powerful top ranking SOLDIERs were gay or had slept with a man at some point. It was ridiculous to say that any straight men set the bar for strength, skill and technique. The training class was most certainly meant for any and all sexual orientations.

The General crossed paths with the shamed blond before stopping and turning around. "By the way…you look adorable in the little uniform." Although having mocked him so harshly, Sephiroth was only teasing in the end.

The blond flushed red all the way up to his ears, but wore an irked frown all the same.

-.-.-.-

That afternoon, Cloud was sure to meet with his fiancé since that was the only time they could see each other that day. Tifa had to work long hours into the night and that left little time to spend together once she got off. They decided that in order to see one another at all they had to meet just as Cloud had gotten fitted into his uniform. Their plan was to meet on the second floor of the ShinRa lobby, before Tifa's shift started. There was a neat array of about five or six tables and chairs situated where Tifa sat in wait for her lover. Already she wore her professional uniform and shoes.

All of a sudden, she sprung up from her seat as she had seen someone she recognized drawing closer toward her. However, it was not her romantic partner….

When his uniform predicament was squared away, Cloud was free to leave the building. In fact, he was free for the rest of the week. Those were the days he planned to make up all lost time with Tifa. As he departed from the elevator and the doors rolled open to reveal the seating area of the lobby, he was presented with a most suspicious scene…. "Tifa…?" He drawled too low for her to pick up.

The women was in the arms of another man, a SOLDIER 1st Class, one she knew. It was someone Cloud knew as well, a man that he had pegged as one not to be trusted from the start.

Zack had his hands cradling delicately her narrow, slender hips, holding her close to his body. As if she were his own, he nestled his nose in the crook of her neck, sure to smash her voluptuous chest against his hard one. He wore a look of deep enjoyment, one that Cloud could clearly see and it boiled his blood to witness such a scene. There were various reasons why it was unacceptable. Even so, Tifa giggled and thrashed about as though she was pretending not to enjoy it.

"Stop it…" Unable to look away, Cloud had moved toward the pair unnoticed without even thinking and appeared before them in an instant.

Zack looked up from her huge set of breasts, subtly drawing himself away from her as if nothing had happened. "Oh hey there, Cloud!"

The blond answered only with an impulsive and ruthless fist square in the SOLDIER's cheek.

It wasn't enough to cause his superior's muscular body to topple, but he swayed and his vision blurred slightly.

Tifa gasped in a state of disbelief, holding her hands up to her mouth. "Zack, are you okay?"

The man who threw the punch glared at her for showing such compassion. "Stay out of this, Tifa…" Cloud seldom raised his voice, but he wanted to yell and fought his hardest not to reprimand the woman he normally treated like a delicate rose.

"Ugh…. I'm alright. Don't worry." Zack spoke cautiously, while feeling the side of his jaw and cheek, opening his mouth to test the bone. Since his body was bigger in size, pumped with mako, and well accustomed to taking blows, he reacted with slight indifference. "For a little guy, you sure can—"

Again, Cloud beat him against the side of his face. He didn't like the way his first reaction was. The initial hit hadn't seemed to hurt him enough….

"Cloud!" shouted Tifa.

After feeling more pain inflicted on the same spot, Zack kept silent that time, only landing his blue eyes on the blond, interested in what his reasons were for hitting him twice in a row.

"Aren't you supposed to be a faggot?" The enraged infantryman began his interrogation.

Tifa instead cut in, feeling sympathy for the stricken SOLDIER. "Cloud he's…" Little did she know, those blows were mere child's play for Zack.

"Don't give me that bisexual bullshit!" The vociferous projection sounded unusual carrying his deep tone. "You either choose one or the other. You can't have both! Didn't you just do it with a guy last night? Why are you all over her?" He gritted out bitterly, carry little for any passerby who overheard his words.

"Jesus, Cloud I was playing around. No need to throw a tantrum." Zack smoothed his right thumb over the bruising mark before looking at it to check for blood. His hand fell to his side.

Cloud struggled not to sock the man another time, simply for the insolent tone of his voice. He even hated the overly giddy sound of him talking. "Playing around? You faggots make me sick with your confusing labels and perverted lifestyles… You're just using labels to cover your own ass. You're a homo. I could tell for sure yesterday and the day we met. …I heard you last night...talking about how crazy you are about sex with men when the first chance you get, you turn around and become this bisexual character so you can grope and molest Tifa!"

"Cloud…" Zack said, stunned, brows lowering in exasperation at the embellished accusation.

"You were talking about dick like you would NEVER be able to give it up, like there's nothing better…yet here you are. There's no way you can like women just the same. Bisexuality is just a pitiful excuse to openly act like a pervert! Get away from her! I won't let you use Tifa to satisfy your greedy way of life…" He made his way over to Zack to shove him further from his fiancé.

Tifa took it upon herself get in the middle of the conversation and in the middle of the two men. It had gotten far enough. "Cloud, just stop it! You're blowing this whole thing out of proportion! It was just a harmless little embrace! We do this all the time."

"Yeah, well it stops here." His piercing azure eyes remained fixed on the other male even as he addressed his fiancé. "Get lost." When the SOLDIER didn't move on the command, he hurled another fist at him, only this time it was caught in Zack's grasp. Cloud took back his hand, feeling a bit of awkwardness at the parry.

"I guess I can't let my guard down around you." Fair concluded with a serious tone, one that wasn't suited for him. "Anyway, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. Tifa and I are good friends so I thought it was okay. It was nothing serious. She never told me I was making her uncomfortable so I thought it was okay to hang onto her. It's my fault. I should have considered her relationship with you…" After those honestly spoken words Zack, albeit pitifully, departed in low spirits. He genuinely hadn't meant any harm.

As soon as the other male was out of his sight, Cloud made his way over to the closest table and arched over, planting both his palms on its gloss finished surface, leaning all his weight on it as if exhausted. After the SOLDIER had walked away, even he had to wonder what he was truly so enraged about, why he got so heated up. Zack had simply been hugging the woman that was his close friend, not kissing her like when Sephiroth kissed him. They weren't having sex, like Cloud had fantasized doing with Sephiroth…

"…I can't believe you." Tifa's heels made a soft knocking sound when padding over to him, positioning herself at his side. "Was that really necessary?"

Cloud looked down, in disbelief at his own behavior. "I'm….sorry Tifa."

"What's going on with you? It almost feels like when we had the house warming and you were upset. I feel like I'm being left in the dark with you these days…" She placed a hand on his shoulder.

The blond felt something grow tight in his chest. A viciously anxious sensation worked over his entire being at that moment. "It's nothing. I just….I feel stressed and frustrated. Then I saw that and it pushed me over the edge."

His fiancé moved her soft hand lower to his back, soon moving it back and forth in a comforting, soothing motion.

"I don't know, Tifa… I just can't seem to get used to being around all the…these men who like other men. I can't wrap my head around it. I can't look at it without feeling beside myself. They're just so…" He wished to say infuriating, but his girlfriend might wonder why he had such intense negative emotions toward it. "And then I see one of them all over you… Don't you think they are so over the top and ridiculous? If they like guys so much, they should just keep their lifestyles to themselves so that everyone under the sun doesn't have to know who they like and go to bed with at night, so that no one can get repulsed and confused by their private choices."

The silent brunette took in his softening words and came to one conclusion. "I know what this is about."

"You do?" Cloud asked, looking up. He was panicking on the inside.

Tifa nodded. "This is about us not spending enough time together since we moved here. You probably feel alone right now, because you don't even have friends of your own. But even still, that's no excuse to take it out on my friends or their way of life."

Exhaling a deep sigh of relief, he replied, "I guess you're right. Sorry about that. I guess I have been feeling alone." Cloud stood up straight in front of the table and faced Tifa with a hopeless expression.

She returned his solemn look with one of sudden cheer and excitement. "That's why…." Tifa gave him an energetic, quick peck on the cheek. "I invited us to go wine tasting with a few _straight_ friends of mine and their spouses. You know…enjoy good wine, get to know the city a little bit better, show each other off… It's been such a long time since we've gone out together. This will make up for us not being able to be together last night and tonight."

"Oh….when?" Cloud asked, immediately interested.

Tifa beamed in excitement. "Tomorrow evening."

"….I can't. I have that training class tomorrow." Cloud informed unusually fast. Even he was surprised at how instantaneous his response came.

She shrugged her shoulders. "So just tell Sephiroth you won't be able to make it. We haven't gone out together since we moved here and I need to have you all to myself as much as possible before you go off for training."

Cloud stuck to his resolved. "But I made a commitment."

"Then un-commit!" snapped Tifa, losing her patience.

Even still, Cloud reacted with fixed stubbornness. It was as if nothing could sway him. "If Sephiroth is going to be my General, I have to be in his good favor. I can't show him that I have the inability to follow through with a decision. I can't go back on my word. You know that, Tifa. And the class is only once a month. I need to get as much experience and training in as I can right now. This class is really important to me..."

When she realized how futile it was to get her lover to change his mind, she cast her big brown eyes to the ground in miserable silence. Normally, she got her way. It was simple to be able to get Cloud to go along with whatever she planned. Ever since she had known him as her lover, he had always been her easy to please and, in a sense, passive boyfriend. He was an easygoing guy whose primary goal was to make his girlfriend happy. But suddenly she wasn't able to sway him to do what she wanted. For a split second, Tifa had sensed something peculiar going on with him, but she ignored it as it was so small and short lived that the feeling hardly mattered. Tifa remained silent, merely brushing it off as insecurity and possessiveness. Perhaps she needed to cool off and let her fiancé have a life outside of her as well… Yes, she most certainly did.

Cloud could see in the way she held her lips that she was quite upset. Wanting nothing more than to put things to right, he said, "Tifa, do you really want me to cancel? I will if you need me to."

"No… go ahead. After all, it's not like wine tasting is that important. You should probably learn as much as you can from Sephiroth since he doesn't teach those classes often. I will just tell my friends that we won't be able to make it this time." Despite her doubts and slight feeling of rejection she smiled and encouraged him to follow through with his plans.

He was oblivious to her disinclination, although he had still felt bad about blowing off her wine tasting outing. "Okay, thank you Tifa. I will make it up to you."

"Hey Cloud…is there another reason why you want to go to this training class so badly?" Tifa asked, following the strong, precautious feeling of her intuition.

"No…why?

"Because you've never turned down any of the plans I've made before…"

Cloud too, thought his behavior was getting to be quite peculiar. Even he realized that he hadn't blown off plans until then, until Sephiroth…. Silently panicking, he fished for something in his head that rung close to the truth. He could never truly lie to Tifa. At least he believed that he couldn't… "I've just been so stressed out about joining the military so late in the game. I want to get promoted as quickly as possible to support you. It's just a burden that's been weighing on me, that's all. I love you, Tifa… I'm sorry about pushing you aside. No matter what, you're the one who really comes first. You're the reason why I am trying so hard."

-.-.-.-

The next day after the training class…

"I'm so glad I came. If I keep this up, I'll have no problem using a sword once I'm in 3rd. I don't know why they make you start out with rifles." Cloud went on, feeling rather good about himself and comfortable with his progress following the lessons he learned in the class.

Sephiroth was at his side as they walked from the training room on the SOLDIER floor. "It's a process, Cloud. That's how it works here. But I don't think you will have any problems making the transition. You're a natural."

"Maybe… It could have just been my sparring partner. He wasn't very tough at all... I barely broke a sweat." The new recruit was quick to downplay his own efforts, even a little.

"I noticed that. Tough or not, you certainly have high reserves of stamina. It's quite the turn on…" No matter what the other said, Sephiroth found something to praise Cloud for in light of his lack of experience and unflattering low self esteem.

Cloud looked over at the taller male, momentarily stunned. "You think so?"

"Yes. Just looking at you, I can tell you have a lot of potential. Once you start to train more and get some mako in you, you will bypass your peers and surprise even yourself."

"That really means a lot to me, coming from you…"

Their conversation had reached an intermission until they had both made it to the above ground parking garage where Cloud's motorcycle was. Setting eyes on the rugged transport the blond led him to, Sephiroth smoothed a gloved hand over the long seat, admiring its simplistic yet hulking design. "Very nice…" Ordinarily, he wouldn't have paid the vehicle any mind. Because the motorcycle belong to Cloud, it was worthy of praise.

Cloud grabbed his helmet and goggles on the right handlebar, readying to put them on once they had said their goodbyes. "It's nothing special. I know it comes in handy in the city though."

The silver haired man's eyes lingered on him for an extended period of time, causing Cloud to use this as a chance to mount the vehicle instead of staring back at the intimidating General. "Maybe next time you will spar with me." The man finally said.

The blond found one major flaw in the other's proposal. Sephiroth was the strongest and he himself had only just joined the military. A pro against someone with no experience seemed beyond unreasonable. "No way!" He answered back, feeling as though he was being mocked.

"Why not?" Sephiroth couldn't see how the offer was so unfair.

"Because…" That was simply the blond's answer, though vague. He didn't think it was necessary to go into the already obvious details.

Sephiroth wore that haughty smirk again. It was that smile that told him he would get what he wanted regardless of what Cloud said right then and there. "Well, I won't ever make you do anything you don't want to do." For whatever reason, it seemed like the General was prolonging their goodbyes, never taking his eyes away from him or initiating the farewell.

"….I guess this is goodnight." Cloud announced, finding that wrapping up the night was overdue.

"If you want it to be…" The General had another motive. There was a suggestive hint clinging to his deep voice and his facial features.

"Well, I certainly enjoyed myself this evening. I learned a lot. Thank you..." Unsure of what to do or say, Cloud looked down as he was known to do when in Sephiroth's presence.

There was meaning behind the silence on his end, reason to why he only remained staring and drawing ever closer. It was to give time for Cloud to watch, think then react to what he was offering him without having to use words. At times, words weren't as effect, sometimes worthless. And so he looked on at the blond, raising a single hand to brush through tamed blond tresses. "….I'm glad. I was hoping that next time it could be just the two of us." Due to his prior body language, his words held a hidden meaning. Or perhaps they would have held such a suggestive meaning regardless.

Feeling uncomfortably frozen in place, yet entranced by the man, Cloud found his body shrinking away, darting his eyes in the opposite direction of Sephiroth to break the powerful spell. "…I better get going."

As Cloud inserted his key, Sephiroth stood and watched as he revved up the smoking motorcycle. Soon, he leaned in to whisper so that he could hear him over the purring of the engine. "Have sweet dreams..."

-.-.-.-

Yuffie shoved a glass high up into the air, a light splash of chardonnay spilling onto the immaculate white cloth sheathing the table. By her wobbling hand, most likely due to her intoxicated state, she wiggled her wrist, her body swaying as she sent everyone seated around her a large and goofy grin. "To Tifa's fiancé FINALLY making it here to Midgar!" She crooned unevenly with a hiccup trailing her sentence. Her cheeks blushed a warm rose. Her own lover was nearby, a wutainese man mixed with another race, thought it both amusing and awkward to watch his immature girlfriend speak loudly in a high class restaurant. "Buttercup…." He addressed her gently, as was his demeanor. In this relationship, Yuffie was most certainly the more dominant one, as she ignored him and held her glass up higher. "Toast!"

The brunette whose fiancé Yuffie wanted to celebrate laughed, tickled at the younger woman's refreshing enthusiasm and held up her glass to lightly tap against hers. "To Cloud!"

Next, was the other man to raise his glass. "To Cloud." He sent the celebrated male a forthcoming welcoming grin.

Cloud simply looked at them awkwardly. It was all he could do to repress a smile from his indecisive lips. "It's not that big of a deal…" Even so, he knocked glasses with everyone in a celebratory toast. He then turned to Tifa, taking her hand in his.

"I'm so glad you're here. I've missed you so much." She spoke first, reading what had previously been implanted in his mind.

The blond lifted her weightless fingers and pressed his soft lips to the back of her hand. "I've missed you too, Tifa."

"Aw, aren't they so sweet together?" Squeaked Tifa's drunken best friend as she watched the couple lock lips next.

Yuffie's boyfriend smirked devilishly, "Yes, very."

"Okay, that's enough, let's get dessert…" Tifa quickly brought the dessert menu to her face, covering her flushed cheeks.

After a while of skimming through the brief selection of cakes, mousses and ice cream, a male waiter came to their table to check to see if they had determined their orders.

"Uh, how about I just get the ice cream? My girlfriend doesn't think I need all that rich mouse and cheese cake."

Yuffie slammed her drink down on the table. Luckily it was almost empty, otherwise it would have spilled tremendously. "That's right! You're getting fluffy." She patted her boyfriend on the tummy. The waiter only grinned, nodding agreeably.

All Tifa could do was giggle, rather than finish up with her order. She knew Cloud didn't like eating sweet things right after dinner, so she was the last to go. Her mirth settling down, she looked up at the waiter and saw something in the background worthy of mentioning to all who sat at the table. "Hey, look who it is!"

They all followed Tifa's line of sight… That's when it happened.

Cloud laid eyes on Sephiroth. Instantly, his excitement went down while the other's went up at the mere sight of the legendary General. His blue eyes merely widened in disbelief. How dare the man show his face in the same romantic fine dining restaurant he was treating Tifa and her friends to? How could he ruin and tarnish such sacred grounds, walk up and smile the way that he was…?

"Hello." The General spoke in his velvety voice, the one that irked Cloud so much and yet it enticed him in dark, animated ways. Sephiroth had some company in tow. The usual lot from SOLDIER and The ShinRa Electric Power Company. Of course after greeting them, Sephiroth went about his business with his friends, getting seated at a large booth and skimming over the menu.

Cloud's eyes followed him to the space he would feast, with a helpless and entranced look in his eyes. His complete attention was no longer ensnared by the woman he was to marry, or rather, it was impossible.

"Damn….Is it just me, or is the General getting sexier?" Yuffie blurted out carelessly. "He dun even seem like one of those girly gay guys you see around. You know, the ones that walk swinging their hips and raising the sound of their voice. He's just so…manly. Oh, other than the whole hair thing."

"Yuffie…" chided her embarrassed lover.

"What?"

"Sephiroth isn't like that with his hair is he?" Tifa looked absent mindedly at her fiancé, getting in on the conversation.

Cloud wore a blank expression before taking a much deserved, long swig of his merlot. "I have no idea."

"Well if he does….I think he gets tips from that cute wutainese guy over there with the long hair…" Yuffie looked over at Tseng with dreamy eyes.

"You think he's cute….?" Her boyfriend asked possessively.

"Cute, I didn't say I wanted to go to bed with him. I just said that he's…"

"Hm, well I like the one that looks like a rock star. If I would be with a guy, think he'd be my type…" He looked challengingly over to Yuffie, after speaking of Reno.

Cloud rolled his eyes at the harmless taunts that the two lovers tossed at one another out of intoxicated, meaningless banter. He honestly didn't think it was very funny, teasing your lover about cheating and with the same sex, it was ridiculous. Something like that wouldn't happen between straight people. Although, he may be trying to convince himself of that very fact…

After their dinner orders were made, Sephiroth got up and sauntered over towards the men's room, not looking back at Cloud or anyone.

Somehow, Cloud had taken this as an invitation to get up and pursue the man in there. After mulling it over for a brief amount of time and staring boldly into the back of the man's tall, sturdy figure, he got a dazed look in his eyes and looked to Tifa. "I need to use the bathroom." So he got up and marched crossly over to the other man, failing at catching up to him until they were both within the restroom.

"What are you doing here?" Cloud interrogated immediately upon arrival.

Sephiroth was getting ready to wash his hands and paused to face the irritated, irrational blond. "Same thing you are doing here, I imagine." He smirked arrogantly.

Cloud hated, despised and detested that arrogance…. "Well, I'm finding it very distracting."

"How is this for distracting?" The General simply said. Yet, no action was made on his part. A man was behind him, using a urinal. The moment he was done, the gentleman came within both their view to wash his hands. Only when this other person was through did Sephiroth push the blond against the sink counter with but the forceful grip of his hands and his hardening groin.

As he was rocked against, Cloud could only gasp and choke out strangled noises, confused ones, hesitant ones, shocked, pleased… Though finding the action thoroughly enjoyable, he drew away from the man, shoving against his broad shoulders. "Stop it…."

Strangely enough, the male stopped, though hesitantly.

"I have to go." concluded the blond.

And only then did Sephiroth let him out of his ferocious hold, smirking with a hint of mockery.

Like before, his mind and body were at odds with one another. His body was melting into the General's embrace, wanting nothing more than to remain close in wait, expectance of what was to happen next. That brain of his was telling him to pull away, think about his family, his one and only lover Tifa… Luckily his mind had won, and yet only momentarily… Perhaps it was because his fiancé was in such close proximity, despite the minute likelihood of her ever entering the men's restroom.

Cloud paused at the doorway, neck turning the slightest to address Sephiroth. With a low, quieted voice, he muttered. "Let's see each other again… When we both have more time."

-.-.-.-

In an empty penthouse apartment only one dwelled, a sole light emanating from a room with grey, glossy tiles, a walk in stone walled shower, a bowl sink on the counter; the bathroom. One man, tall with a build that teetered dangerously close to perfection, stood facing the wide mirror above the sink. Shirtless, his fingers were splayed across his chest, roaming the silken, hard flesh…

"I wonder how Cloud fucks her…" Sephiroth drawled, idly touching his hardened abdominal muscles. Though like the somewhat vane SOLDIER that he was, he was staring at himself, his naked body parts in narcissism, proud of the skin he resided in, the perfect vessel he called his own, his flawless outward appearance. Surely he was in awe of himself, but his mind was stuck on one particular human being.

"Is he fast and forceful…or slow and gentle…?" He continued in deep thought. A finger fondling his left nipple in the motions he described while picturing in his elaborate, intricate mind how Cloud pleased his female partner.

"Damn you….stringing me along like this. I've never been made to wait. For now, this will just have to suffice." He took that hand away to hold up the pasty pink toy on the counter space beside the sink. The dildo was then ran over with hot water. Sephiroth left it like that, under the mercy of the scorching water while he then began to stroke his hardened arousal.

"I've been waiting so long, but I'll wait for however much longer it takes…" By his own impatient hand was the neutral complexioned dildo then shoved up his behind.

**Yooney: Hey you all! Let me know what you think. I love hearing from you! In the next chapter Cloud has a life altering experience….so stay tuned! **


	4. Chapter 4

"Cloud…" A female voice graced a dimly lit room in a feverish cry.

The curtains were drawn closed, shutting out all the blinking lights and never-ending bustle of the city. Sometimes the roaring of trains sounded, cars honked, and ambulances sounded, people shouted and cursed, but behind the gathered drapes, came sounds of an entirely different nature. This was a noise that drowned out all that was beyond all four walls; a man and woman. It was a fairly uncommon association in the city of thriving gays, but there in that quaint apartment lie contrasting genders, their bodies connected in heated, animated passion.

"Mnngh…That feels so good, babe…" Tifa's delicate voice was a pleasant melody above the dull stillness where nothing else sounded except for the faint creaking of the bed and her partner's rough breathes.

Cloud was positioned over her soft chest, brushing against the fluff of her mounds every time that he thrust into her. Usually he kept one breast in each hand while he indulged in his voluptuous partner, but that night, though he felt especially energetic, he did not graze her there even once. Instead, both his hands were positioned somewhat awkwardly under her arms on each side of her. She did not take notice of the slight change in their routine…

"Ti…fa…." He spoke in a broken whisper laden with lust. "My nipples…touch them." His eyes squinted, face twisted in ecstasy.

Almost in a state of disbelief at what she was told, she demonstrated the request with her pretty, dainty fingers and took one of the hard buds on his chest and rolled them between her thumb and index finger. "Like this?"

Cloud closed his eyes and moaned helplessly, "Ah, yeah…yeah just like that. The other one…"

When his next request came, she used both her hands to satisfy him.

He blissfully hummed. "…My cock really aches when you do that. It feels so….good." Caught up in the rapture the sensations gave him, he almost didn't notice her laughing underneath him. He stopped pushing into her lower bits and looked down with half lidded, weary eyes. "What's wrong?"

"It's just…a little gay. You never asked me to do something like that to you before." She covered her mouth as she giggled, spoiling the mood.

He then decided that he wasn't going to proceed with the act until the matter was settled. "I am NOT gay, Tifa…"This, he genuinely believed.

She simply couldn't take him seriously, although he was in fact quite serious. It was always like that. Cloud went about life taking all matters with a grave looking expression on his face while she had a more humorous, positive take on things. "I'm not saying that you're gay. Obviously you're not… It's just that…I wasn't really expecting you to like that kind of thing. I know gay guys who openly enjoy it… Sephiroth loves nipple play. Hahaha!"

"Do you have to talk about him even while we're in bed together?" There was no denying it. The member he had plunged up to the hilt inside of her had jolted at the mention of the General. Of course, Cloud tried to disguise the sudden motion by moving in and out of her frantically all of a sudden.

Taken by surprise, she grabbed onto his shoulders to gain some control of her body, "God, what's got you so wild tonight? You're usually so gentle and sweet, but I like this change."

"I guess…it's been a while since we…did this." The real reason was to stay with him. Like before, he was coming up with the most plausible excuse in his mind, the first one he could think of that made sense though it was not the true reality. All the while, the real reason was because he saw Sephiroth that night. The male had lingered in his mind and he couldn't get him out. As soon as they returned home from the restaurant, Cloud picked up his fiancé and threw her onto their bed. They had been at it with each other for over an hour.

As the familiar hot, stiff member drove into her relentlessly, stirring up a certain spot inside, Tifa could only let out a sweet moan, roaming her fingers over his back until they settled on his firm ever shifting backside. She compressed his cheeks as if to draw his body in further. "Ah..ah…ahhh! S…sorry for bringing him up. It wasn't right."

"Bringing who up?" Cloud purposefully feigned ignorance.

Unable to speak evenly, Tifa blurted, "Sephiroth…!"

It was only to hear his name again, that he had ask her to reply so specifically, and as he predicted, his body reacted to the simple utterance of his name, jerking and pulsating painfully deep inside of her moist heat. "I forgive you." Then, his mouth opened up to speak words that he could have never seen coming. "Tifaa….let's try something else." He suggested, gently tearing her hand away from his stiffened nipples. Something vicious and sweltering hot began to stir up inside of his body and he would not have been able to bring himself to speak of such a thing had he not been in such a feverish state.

Silently following where he was taking her fingers, Tifa waited to see what he had in mind.

In one sensual movement, Cloud had taken a delicate, slightly most finger into his mouth and sucked on it like one would a Popsicle. This erotic demonstration fascinated the woman so she watched in awe and burning desire.

"Put them in my asshole… one at a time." The man spoke in a low voice, his movements quickening ever so slightly at the initial anticipation of the action.

At first, she was shocked, but even she had been swept up in the unusual blistering lustful fever. "Okay…" Fingers slick with saliva, Tifa crept them down her lovers muscle entrenched back and slipped one into the unfamiliar territory, feeling him constrict viciously around her and sucking her finger in until soon loosening up. When he was used to the feeling of having her one finger inside, she knowingly began to move it in and out, squirming it around deeper and deeper, testing him.

Cloud buried his head into the pillow resting by her neck and let out a loud moan. Somehow, it was much unlike him to do so. "Shit….uhhhhh….ugh, more." He rocked against her, reveling in the feeling of having both ends pleasured at the same time.

Without agreeing verbally, Tifa complied, adding in another finger. One of the reasons why she was so obedient about the unusual request, was because she wanted to see more of Cloud's less than normal behavior. He was acting…peculiarly, but something about it was so remarkably arousing and intriguing. She wanted more of this new and unknown side of him.

"Fuck me with them, really hard. As hard as you can."

Again, Tifa wasn't going to discontinue the unconventional service. The more she poked and prodded him with her practiced fingers, the deeper and more accurately he aimed at the soft round spot inside her that sent her eyes rolling into the back of her head. She was slightly relived that the two of them weren't making eye contact.

Little did she know, Cloud wore a much more disgraceful and warped look on his face, one that she could never come close imitating. Had she seen how badly he was drowning in pleasure just by the excited expression on his face, she would have been stunned speechless at the very least. All she knew was that he was going wild on top of her, riding her like an instinct driven beast, not taking any intervals to adjust his position or kiss and embrace her. Everything was done with one objective in mind: to orgasm.

It was a gentlemanly habit of his to always allow her to cum before he did, but that night, the thought hadn't crossed his mind. As she stuffed his insides over and over, churning everything up in the heated, clenching hole, Cloud let out a choking sound, while quickening the speed of his hips, a feat Tifa had already decided was impossible.

"Are you cumming?" His lover asked, always with the futile anticipation of feeling his warm seed fill her.

"Soon…."

There was something about the way he spoke that made her regret asking. It was almost as if Cloud didn't want to hear her questioning him while he was in such a deep, meditative, almost drone like state. It was as if she had bothered him, interrupted him even. That insulting response of his drove her to scratch the two nails she had in his body, relentlessly grazing against his innards. She could be ruthless when she wanted to be. No one, not even Cloud mistreated or disgraced her.

However, the action only stirred him up more. "Aahhh, Tifa…..Right there! Haahhh guh…!"

She turned her head to observe his external reaction rather than just feeling it. Her view had improved the second Cloud pulled out of her and released into the overly stretched, unrelenting condom. He rested his heavy length between their bodies and helplessly poured out everything that he had.

Thick loads of semen spurted every time she nudged his prostate, his cock twitching with each burst of semen. He didn't even require his own hand to make himself ejaculate.

The act simply fascinated Tifa. Though she had not reached climax, or had her lover acknowledge her lack of height in satisfaction, she looked up at the desperate expression on his face and could tell….something was quite off about her once mild and reserved farm boy. There was a change in him and not one entirely for the better.

And then, without hesitation, Cloud peeled off the used condom. However he did not reach for another like he had after their prior round.

"What? Are you sure?" Tifa checked, assuming they were to engage in unprotected intercourse. Otherwise, her lover would have lain down next to her to go to sleep. Instead, he was kneeling over her, still gazing with a look of deep lust.

Cloud simply whispered, "Hold your legs open…"

Surprised by that same unusual cold tone of voice, she did as she was told.

Meanwhile, he lowered himself down on the bed.

Tifa knew what was to proceed next. She closed her eyes, but rather than feeling his tongue against her swollen ornament, she felt the familiar wet object flicker against the hole that was further down. "Wait….wha….uhh….mmm." Tifa had stopped before she could even form a sentence as she experienced a warm dampness devour her lowest area. Cloud had never even wiggled his tongue around so wildly in her moist folds like the way he was doing in her ass. It was almost distasteful the way he devoured her… But to think that Cloud, her Cloud, normally so apathetic, quiet, dopey and polite, was licking her asshole like a mad dog created a mental arousal so profound that she couldn't bring herself to stop him.

"Do you feel it in your pussy?" His head perked up to vulgarly inquire about the sensation he was giving her.

Just slightly she shook her butt about, unable to put an accurate description together of what she felt. "Does that….look like…my pussy, you asshole?!"

Cloud only laughed, "….I didn't know…you could turn into such a sexy slut who slobbers and squirms while getting her ass licked…"

In the moment, she didn't care how indescribable and ambiguous the feeling, she pushed his head away. Something she had been thinking to do since he had gone down there. "…making fun of me?" Tifa said breathlessly.

"It's okay if I talk dirty to you in bed now, isn't it?"

When such an insolent resounding voice reached her ears, she could only wonder if she was supposed to accept the disrespectful verbal treatment. Cloud never once called her out of her name no matter how caught up they got in the heat of the moment. "Do what you want." She told him with a weak, partly rebellious look. After all, those words didn't mean anything.

As instructed, Cloud indeed did as he wanted, even if it meant crossing the line of his lover's preferences in bed.

"You're not getting in there, if that's what you're thinking…" Tifa informed whilst a menacing look crossed her face. The soft, moist tongue previously sopping her up down there had been replaced with one of Cloud's stocky fingers. Every time he inched the finger in further, she edged herself away. The feeling was unbearable. It was impossible to think that with the girth of his length the feeling would be any resemblance to pleasure.

Cloud's actions failed to heed her warning and he crept in another finger instead.

After years of being treated like a delicate flower in bed, years of having her needs come first and never having to do anything she didn't want to, Tifa felt a dark feeling welling up inside of her. This went beyond the splitting pain Cloud was giving her down below and before he could pry the finger in anymore, the darkness manifested itself and she instinctively punched him in the eye. Her limbs had been moving on their own. There was no thought involved, just emotion and instinct. She didn't enjoy anal stimulation and couldn't believe that her fiancé was forcing her.

Cloud's took the blow like nothing more than that of a little pinch on one of his burly arms. As if not feeling any pain at all, or even taking her warning under the slightest consideration, he stretched her legs back and pried them further apart before settling in between them. It was as though he were under some kind of spell, a trance. On a mission, he immediately grabbed onto Tifa's wrists to keep her hands from flailing and forced them back, pressing them to the sheets.

She was unable to move. Part of her paralysis stemmed from shock. She was experiencing firsthand her boyfriend of four year's true strength. Cloud had never so much as restrained her. "You can't be serious…" Tifa looked up at him like he was crazy.

Like before, he did not respond and instead used action to communicate his intentions to her.

"Ahhh! Fuck!" Tifa groaned in agony as a hard, heated length penetrated her only virginal hole. "Fuck you! Fuck you!" She squirmed about in a different nature, a hostile one, flailing her head, legs and arms about, in dispute.

For a moment, Cloud was absorbed by the new, pleasurable sensation and also in shock by his ever so gentle and kind soon-to-be wife's choice of words. And in that instant of mental lapse, Tifa had successfully broken free of his hold and this time managed to throw an unsteady fist at his nose.

His body staggered to the side when he received the harsh blow and recoiled back and off of her as new strikes rained upon him. With no resistance, he took a jab in the stomach, a kick in between his legs and another in the shin. When the blows had ended, he was left with a dull ache from top to bottom. He kneeled down on the bed, crouching, collecting his sanity, his senses and thoughts. Just what had he been doing to Tifa? As he asked himself the baffling question, his eyes stared widely, yet blankly into the darkness, searching, searching, yet not finding… "I'm…..I'm…..so sorry…Tifa….!" He was wrapping his arms around himself, fingers digging into his flesh in self-loathing. "I….I didn't mean to do that with you. I could never…"

"What's going on with you?!" She shouted out of frustration. Since they moved there, she started feeling for the first time distanced from her lover, some kind of wide unfathomable gab that she couldn't read. She could no longer predict him, understand him. Nothing about him made sense, he was more depressed than the usual and he treated her differently, coldly.

Neither trembling nor sobbing, Cloud simply held onto himself and looked blankly out into space. He was putting the pieces together in his mind, the answers why he had done what he did… "…I'm just so stressed…I'm just so stressed… I…I'm so fucking stressed out, Tifa….!"

It was then she truly grasped the extent of his dilemma. For the first time, she witnessed for a moment, insanity flash in her lover's lost blue eyes, eyes calling so desperately for something, anything, and anyone for help. She just didn't know what it was he needed. She didn't have his answers to guide him, but she understood how serious it was. Having no other choice but to gaze out into their dark room at his unstable, broken expression, she listened to him.

"You have everything figured out… You have a decent job at ShinRa. You're closer than you've ever been to opening up your bar… You want to get married and have children… You have your dreams… and I'm… not quite sure what I'm doing in this city. I can't keep up with you... Even though everyone tries to make me feel better, I know that I joined the military late and I'm behind for my age. I have literally nothing in common with the locals here. Everyone is gay, really outgoing or rich. I still need to get you a better ring…. I need to provide for you and take care of you, give you everything that you deserve, but no matter how much I pound that into my brain, I feel that with every day that passes by, I'm falling behind…. My pride can't withstand you surpassing me! But even with that being said… I'm completely useless…"

After coming so far, of course Tifa would never want to admit that they were drifting apart, longing for different things in life, going down their own paths at their own pace. Never would she like to come to the realization that perhaps they weren't right for one another. Even if with each day that came and went in their new surroundings, the odds of a break up became more of a possibility. "But I thought you were doing better. You got into the military. You even made a couple of new friends. Sephiroth seems to really like you. Didn't you make progress with him today…?"

Cloud intentionally cut her words off at the mention of Sephiroth and 'progress'. He felt they shouldn't have been used in one sentence. "It's more complex than that, Tifa. I just feel like I need to find something and I won't be right until I do. It's to the point where I'm overwhelmed with frustration and anxiety."

"Well, don't take it out on me in bed. I'm not the bad guy." Tifa shot back at him, feeling at odds about how to comfort her troubled lover. She always had to offer him words of comfort and positivity, always coddle him when he felt vulnerable. There were seldom times when he comforted her, or perhaps it was simply because she never needed to be. This helpless, hopeless attitude of his was starting to wear on her nerves. She'd soon run out of ideas.

Feeling her frustration whilst a throbbing pain worked through his face, due to Tifa's strongest hit, he planted a palm down on the sheets to help shift himself over to sit up next to her in the king size bed. "I know….You've been nothing but supportive, my only source for support…I couldn't be more grateful. I…I did lose control. It…won't happen again. Sorry..."

"Sorry for hitting you." Tifa said in a little voice, feeling compelled to give an apology as well.

Cloud instantly shot it down, "No, I deserved it."

"Mm, maybe a little." She choked out a laugh. "I wonder what made you want to do that though. Of all things…" Her gaze dropped to the sheets covering her lilly white legs, pondering the thought. Much like Cloud, Tifa had been raised a conservative, reserved life in the countryside. As a result, she didn't start learning about X-rated topics and material until she was exposed to the city. Even still, she never quite understood the point of anal intercourse and had no interest in exploring the topic. Cloud, on the other hand… wasn't as foreign to the act. The very second Tifa had opened her mouth to question him further, a muffled buzz sounded in the darkness. "Who's that calling you this late at night?"

Cloud's blue eyes instantly darted to his phone and its illuminating screen. "It's only nine." Quite relieved that the phone call had interrupted the flow of their conversation and where it was headed, he bent over, holding his stomach and baring the aching pain in his other parts to collect the vibrating device. "Hello? ….Sephiroth?" Cloud said, knowingly alerting Tifa of the caller's identity. His heart leapt at the deep resonation of his voice and a feeling of anticipation and fear washed over him. He was happy, but most evidently anxious.

The woman in his company reacted coldly by turning over in the other direction and swinging the covers over her shoulder, clearly displaying an attitude. It was starting to seem like Sephiroth was the one person who could get between their personal time. However, she only brushed it off as mere coincidence, knowing that Cloud really had no control over Sephiroth calling him. The General was a remarkably important asset in both their lives. She understood why he had answered.

Cloud disregarded her cold reaction and walked into the hallway, all painful sensations completely void of his body as his mind focused solely on who was on the other line. "Hi, how's it going? Oh, alright…. Yeah, it's okay. ….Not a problem. Yeah… Uh-huh… Sure… That's fine…. Okay… Bye." He said in compliance during the entire conversation, a tad too nervous and awkward to add any input himself. Sephiroth did all the talking and he did it well, explaining everything that needed to be said and ending it without going on about anything unnecessary or tedious. "Uhh… That was Sephiroth." Cloud drawled, creeping back into the master bed room.

"I would have never guessed." Tifa spoke out sarcastically, blankets still thrown over her shoulder as she faced the opposite direction.

Though he could see she was about to go to sleep, he informed her of the topic of their short lived discussion. "We're going to have dinner tomorrow night."

"Oh?" At this, she turned around and even sat up straight.

Guilt and fear lay in his tired face, however it was difficult to make out in the dark, "We don't have plans, do we? If we do, I can reschedule with him!" Of course, he felt the need to cover his own ass before rushing into a dinner date with the other man. He didn't even know what he felt so guilty of. They were just going to talk, like Sephiroth said, just talk. Yet, when he thought about it, he could only envision the General's bedroom eyes staring up at him, that strong inhumanly muscular naked body underneath him, long legs coiling around his hips and powerful hands grasping his ass like handlebars… "Or I could just cancel if you want to spend more time together, Tifa!"

"Oh, no, go ahead."

Even so, Cloud felt the need to explain himself further. "We were just going to meet up and talk about the military, nothing fancy… But Tifa I think I should call him back and tell him that we need to spend some more time together."

"You know I work tomorrow night. I don't mind if you go. Go ahead, have fun or whatever you guys do."

"Okay… I'll come home as quickly as I can." He assured her.

"Oh, but you guys are probably going to go out drinking, right? Don't worry about rushing home too fast. Enjoy the evening and take your time." She sent him a genuine smile. Sephiroth had somehow lightened up the mood. "You were just telling me of all your troubles. Not having anything in common with anyone, feeling isolate….wasn't that one of them? I'm really glad that you're getting along with Sephiroth so well, I really am. You have someone else other than me to count on. I mean it, you two have a lot of fun. I'll be here when you get back."

_The more she spoke, the more I felt guilty for an act that had yet to happen. Tifa… as innocent, kind heart and sweet as she is, all I could do was crawl back into our bed, kiss her on the head and hold her in my arms until sleep found her. I had no words for her. If I said anything, I knew that I would be even further trampling on her kind, trusting heart, betraying her. This way, by staying quiet, I didn't have to hear myself acting like a liar and a cheater. Feeling it in the marrow of my bones, seeing it like a slideshow in my brain, hearing it with every mention of the man's name, and being around Sephiroth himself was enough to remind myself of the treacherous person I was steadily becoming. I'm ugly, worthless, and a fuck up. I call myself these things internally in a mantra, my arms embracing her as I take in the smell of perfume mixed with shampoo and a touch of her mild smelling sweat. All the while I'm thinking about…him. _

_I've been thinking that I just want to sleep with him, that's it, nothing more, that I'm not actually gay, just curious. I just want to know what it feels like to get in his ass. I felt like that desire would simmer down if I just got it from my fiancé. That way, I would be able to find out what it feels like without actually betraying her. Only now, I feel like that isn't what I wanted at all. As it turns out, I would much rather have sex with Sephiroth… The sad part about it is that I am even more intrigued about doing it with him now than I was before even at the expense of my girlfriend's trust. I'm so fucked up._

-.-.-.-

"Cloud…" Sephiroth still had his cell phone in his hand after their conversation ended. "Ah, Cloud…" His naked figure fell back into the plush cloud-like white comforter on his large bed. With eyes closed, he panted, body coated with a thin film of sweat, his face a light blush all over. "…I knew hearing your voice would make me cum..."

-.-.-.-

Cloud sat across from the General feeling out of place in his new surroundings. Just the other night, he, Tifa and her friends had gone to a fine dining restaurant, but what Sephiroth had in mind for him that night was a venue in a completely different league. There were multiple different utensils in front of him and the china sparkled as though it had been scrubbed then polished to perfection. The menu in his hand was limited to just a few dishes and it read out like a foreign language. There were words spayed out before him that he couldn't recognize. Embarrassed that he couldn't comprehend the articles, he looked to the older man in frustration. "Are you trying to impress me?"

The haughty grin on his face was enough to confirm his suspicions. "I am…and it's working."

There was no way Cloud could deny it. He was substantially impressed….yet anxious about the extravagantness of it all nonetheless. Of course he had never been in such opulence.

The restaurant's most refined waiter found his way to their table and instantly recognized the General. From then on out, they carried on familiarly as though Sephiroth was a regular. His visit wasn't complete until the manager had come to greet the important military figure as well.

As the three of them carried on with smiles, witty jokes and empty flattery, Cloud set the ineligible menu down and looked off at his surroundings. He most certainly didn't belong there. Everything just felt so…fancy. At least he dressed the part so that he could at least blend. Examining the unusually submissive and cooperative behavior of the waiter and manager, Cloud had deduced that Sephiroth was known well by the staff for coming to the restaurant.

The three men's conversation ended after roughly three minutes. The manager excused himself as the waiter asked them what they would like to drink for the evening. That was when Sephiroth intervened, cutting in with his own suggestion for what wine they were to order. Cloud was glad though because he hadn't the slightest notion of what to get. Everything on the menu made him nervous because it was so expensive.

Immediately after the vintage was ordered, Cloud scanned the wine menu to find how much it cost. The glimmer in the waiter's eyes quantified that it was a great amount of money and if the meal and drinks added up to the hundreds, then he would be expecting and guaranteed a considerable tip. "Four-hundred dollars…." He quoted the menu where their wine was listed.

Before he knew it, the man waiting on them was back to pour the delicate drink in tall glasses. The establishment was probably making Sephiroth's orders a priority because their server had come back rather fast despite the accumulating crowd. And so the gentleman proceeded to inform them of the specials of the day, their description and every detail, followed by inquiries of what they would like to have that evening. Sephiroth ordered for the both of them once more, before Cloud could even open his mouth. The waiter bowed courteously, collect their menus with tactfulness and grace, and scurry off into the direction of the kitchen. This was the beginning of their six course meal.

A little ways into the evening, Cloud took the last gulp in his glass of the outrageously priced wine. "Why are you doing all of this for me? I'm thankful…but it might be a bit much." The unfamiliar taste of the fine wine and food were a constant reminder of how overboard his date was going. Yes, this was a date and Cloud was clearly the one who was inevitably being swept off his feet. He wasn't so sure how he felt about it, but it had become difficult to successfully evade Sephiroth's advances and techniques. Before he even realized it, he had been hoisted into a powerless, submissive position where he had no other choice but to sit and accept. With every sip of the foreign wine, every bite of the delicacy lining his plate, guilt rose up, yet still he swallowed. Cloud accepted everything because deep down inside he enjoyed it. He liked it so much that the guilt of not knowing if he could pay Sephiroth back, be it with his body or money, didn't matter. The guilt of knowingly cheating on Tifa by having an extravagant dinner with another man who had an interest in him didn't sway him either.

"I once took Tifa out to dinner…" Green coated eyes fixed onto the bubbling glass at his fingertips as he dodged the question. He was almost done his fourth helping and before it was down to the last drop, their waiter came to fill it up once more. "This was before you moved in with her. She told me that she was lonely and didn't want to have dinner alone. I took her out to a nice place, not as extravagant as this, but quite out of her price range at the time. We enjoyed good food, good conversation, and then we went home….our separate homes of course." The General laughed briefly at the preposterousness of how going home with Tifa sounded.

Cloud listened on, with a burning curiosity as to what the man was getting at.

"I did it because Tifa is a friend of mine. And as a friend, it is her place to accept my gifts no matter how generous or lavish, besides the fact that she deserves it. Do you see where I'm going with this?"

"Yeah…" Along with his reply came a feeling of self doubt. Cloud didn't think he deserved such special treatment even if Sephiroth did call him a friend, yet he didn't dispute it. That would be discourteous. Instead, his thoughts drifted to Tifa. "I couldn't agree with you more though… She does deserve it…." He took on a gloomy atmosphere. "She's kind hearted, strong, ambitious, charming, unbelievably caring, sexy… I'd give her the world if I could. …I need to start with giving her a bigger engagement ring."

"I have never once heard Tifa complain about the size of her ring." Finding humor in his next words, he lifted the corner of his lips and took one long sip of wine. "If there's one thing I know for sure, it's that you've got something she thinks compensates well for all of your shortcomings."

"And what's tha—" Underneath the table, Sephiroth's arched long leg had crossed over to his side and his foot, covered only by a thin layer of high quality black knitted material, was kneading his crotch. The foot was so hot that he could feel the warmth through his pants and briefs. "Why would she tell you something like that?" He sent the General a look that expressed his vexation at the toes molesting his privates. Cloud had a feeling that Sephiroth would have committed such a bold act even if there was no cloth covering the table, considering how far up his ass the staff was. They'd overlook it if the General pissed in the front fountain.

"We're BFFs. We talk about everything, especially sex." Sephiroth informed, the sole of his foot still planted firmly in the other's nether regions.

The frown on the blond's face intensified. "Well, if you're such best friends, then why are you hitting on me right now?" Finally, the silently unspoken of question was asked.

With a grin fixed in place on his features, Sephiroth remained silent, just staring over at the cross blond for an uncomfortable amount of time. "I want to see for myself if your dick is really as big as she says it is. I'm not satisfied with a soft cock…."

It was becoming apparent to Cloud that the General was actually a little tipsy after drinking four whole glasses on a semi filled stomach. For some reason, he felt like he wouldn't have behaved much differently if he was sober... After all that had transpired between them, he had been able to come to the silent conclusion that the man wanted him. Even with his lack of self esteem and self worth it was obvious. The dilemma of it all was that he just didn't know what to do about it and he didn't want to stop hanging out with him. "You…didn't answer my question." The blood was starting to pool to the middle of his legs involuntarily as the talented foot massaged the front of his pants. "Aren't you Tifa's friend?" The feeling was too good to stop…

Suddenly, Sephiroth got a serious look in his eyes that caught his date off guard. "I want you to remember, Cloud, that everything I do in relation to Tifa is out of love for her. I only act in her best interest as a friend. That is all I will tell you."

Cloud felt like jumping up and raising his voice at the man, but their third course came and he didn't want to get aroused past the point of no return. "Alright, that's enough…" He pushed the foot off of his groin and crossed his legs. "Anyway, what other shortcomings has she told you that I have?"

Momentarily satisfied, Sephiroth took back his foot and bent down to dress it back in its shoe under the cloth covering the table. "Nothing much, mainly that you have a tendency to get depressed and doubt yourself, even hate yourself. She said you go into deep depressions and sometimes, go off for long periods of time without letting her know where you are and when you'll be back. She hates it when you make her worry like that..." A distant look was laden in his emerald eyes.

Cloud only responded with a long sigh. There were those times when he'd get so caught up and consumed by hate for his own self that being around Tifa made him feel even more of a failure since she was so confidant, mentally sound, and talented. He didn't want to bring her down to his low level, so the best thing he knew he could do was get away from her until he was in a better state of mind. Even so, he never told her exactly why he went off. Cloud wasn't exactly the best with words. That's why Tifa always usually ended up reading his mind and translating for him.

"Cloud." Said Sephiroth, his tone serious and commanding. "If you ever get depressed again, I want you to get in touch with me."

"But—" He started, yet was cut off by that assertive voice.

"You won't bring me down, or be a bother. I'll make you feel better."

Not sure how to respond, he looked down, answering with a short. "Okay…" There was something about the way that Sephiroth spoke that made him feel secure and safe. It was as though he had the answers to all of his problems. He was steadily becoming addicted to that feeling, wanting to do no more than rely on such a powerful, sound man.

In the next hour, they finished their six courses and decided to simply sit and drink, both of them, quite inebriated by then. However, the only one who seemed under the influence of the most alcohol was the General. That very fact put Cloud under an immense amount of stress. He didn't care how level headed and in control Sephiroth seemed to perpetually be. He was still a man….a man who desired him. Such feelings along with the combination of an abundance of alcohol spelled for a disaster if Cloud didn't maintain control over the situation and himself.

Feeling close to his limit, the blond pushed his half filled wine glass away and spoke, breaking the silence if not the other man's unrelenting gaze. "You've done so much for me….anything you want in return?" He questioned with a suspicious undertone. That very question had been haunting him all dinner.

Sephiroth snorted while wearing a vulgar sneer. He had downed multiple helpings of wine by then and a full glass was still nestled in between his sturdy grip. "Not anything you wouldn't already be willing to do of your own accord." Somehow his words had come steady and firm. Contrary to Cloud's doubt's he was still in quite a bit of control. He placed his glass down on the center of the table. The action validated that his drinking had come to an end.

Cloud was both relieved and disappointed when it looked as though the man was done with the alcohol. The relief was due to the fear he had of Sephiroth violating and ravaging him after losing control of his senses. Disappointment then surfaced when he realized that he had yet to see the General truly lose himself and let loose. Many others would have paid to see such a sight… "You're always talking in riddles, codes… I don't understand you."

Sephiroth stalled before answering, as well as standing up and settling his eucalyptus tinted gaze down on him. "Life is more engaging when more things are left up to the imagination." In other words, if he were to divulge his entire plan and expound upon his intentions, the fun would be over, or rather before anything had yet to really begin. Cloud was best left in the dark to his objective, otherwise it would fail. The General had yet to be unsuccessful at anything in life, which was why he was so confident and certain that he had already but secured his target.

Afterwards, Sephiroth left the table without a word. Assuming the other male would follow, which he did. He departed from the opulent building of the establishment prior to holding the door open for the blond and was quick and fluid about hailing over the limousine settled conveniently to the side in wait just for them. They boarded it, both silent. It wasn't until they had reached a certain secluded and abandoned area that Sephiroth got out of the vehicle and walked over to an elevator. Unlike the restaurant and the General's choice of transport, this place was rundown with many hazards throughout the area. It harbored the look of a construction site. However, it seemed the elevator still functioned properly.

Cloud was trying to understand what he was thinking coming to a place like that all of a sudden, but in the midst of coming up with a reasoning behind such a ridiculous situation, Sephiroth was slowly and steadily getting away from him and making it behind elevator doors. As they closed, the man remained smug in place as though he knew for certain that Cloud would come in time to make it inside the contraption.

Once within, Cloud looked around at the slightly new looking interior of the elevator and could hardly believe the appearance of all that was outside.

As if able to read his thoughts, Sephiroth cut through the silent atmosphere with a few words. "This is an old building, but a wealthy business man recently bought it and is now having it remodeled and renovated into a day spa. It's the ideal location since it's on the outskirts of Midgar and therefore in a much quieter area."

When they reach the top floor, Sephiroth stepped out and, unlike before, held an arm out between the doors as he waited for Cloud to pass through.

The place they stepped out into was like an entirely different place altogether. Contrary to what was downstairs, the rooftop, which was their new location, was completely renovated.

"Wow…" Cloud was speechless. The architecture details and designs were stunning.

Sephiroth walked up close to the edge of the building and crossed his arms behind his back, looking up longingly at the full moon. "I know... This is where I come when I can't take it anymore…"

"Take what?" The blond made it to his side after taking one look around the place.

He sighed as if he didn't want to say. "…The pressure of being owned by a corporation."

Having only a slight understanding of Sephiroth's situation, he asked, "Owned?"

"Yes, owned. Without me, they wouldn't have such a high success rate when it comes to difficult missions and tasks. Out of the three other 1st Class SOLDIERs I'm the one they rely on the most. I was also born into ShinRa, steadily groomed into a war machine since birth. I have a lot riding on my success. Everyone has high hopes for me when things are disastrous. I can't be anything short of perfect….which means that I have limited freedom. Looking out into the barren wasteland like this makes me think about true freedom… freedom to exist outside of a wall, freedom to venture out where I please for however long I want, even forever, without having to report back in at a certain instance or time frame."

Somehow, seeing Sephiroth like that, so open and honest, was light-years better than seeing him potentially let loose in a drunken spell.

"You know…being around you makes me feel that way." Those green eyes found their way to him.

"Makes you feel what way?" Cloud wasn't sure what he meant by that claim.

Sephiroth let out a small, barely audible laugh before he turned around to face him. "….Free…"

That simple word was enough to make his heart skip a beat. "What do you mean by that…? I don't understand…" Simultaneously, Cloud took a step back and lowered his gaze to the floor. The way that he was being looked at was almost too much to comfortably bear.

"Stop trying to understand everything…just feel." Uttered the General in a carefree tone.

As if put under a spell by the command, Cloud, for the first time since meeting Sephiroth, allowed himself to succumb to desire. For, desire was what he felt for him. On the fated day when they got acquainted, he felt it, that burning desire. That one morning in the cafeteria he felt the magnetic pull of it as well. Also on that one night he had gone out with Tifa and her friends. Only now did he truly lose himself to this raw sensation and…feel. There was no contemplating, hesitating, attempting to interpret and second guess everything. Trying to break down and comprehend every emotion passing through his brain was too difficult. Nothing ever made proper sense. Cloud shouldn't have desired another man while he had such a wonderful woman to call his own. His fiancé was every straight man's wet dream and she adored him. He was lucky to have her. To break that big heart of hers would be a sin, and yet….he simply couldn't bear to think of any of those things anymore. He just wanted to feel good. "I feel free when I'm with you too…"

As if an unspoken agreement had been made, their bodies neared one another. Like a magnet, they connected, attaching themselves so fixedly that not an ounce of space stood between them. From any onlooker, their bodies looked as one. It was a good thing there wasn't anyone else in sight because things had begun to heat up fairly quickly. It had begun with a simple kiss. Neither of them in particular was taking the lead, they both took equal amounts of time deepening the lip embrace, swapping fluids, shoving their tongue down the other's throat.

Cloud, however seemed to put more of his energy in caressing the tight, athletic body at his fingertips. His advances were sloppy, erratic. Naturally, he didn't know where to grab onto, just a handful of whatever he could grapple with his perspiring palms. He caught with his hasty fingers a handful of hair, biceps, and a tight, lean backside. All that he did was out of order and rushed, yet sensual and vulgar. So many different emotions had been going through him since the day he met that man. Anger, frustration, lust, impatience, urgency and guilt, only the guilt was pushed to the back of his mind to be dealt with at another time. The other built up sensations were let out at that instant, as they were far too strong to allow to be bottled up and kept under control any longer.

Unsure of how to further express his unstable, out of control urges, he was reduced to simply rubbing his excitement against the other man's equally tight loins. Out of breath, he retracted his tongue from his mouth and whispered, "Sephiroth, I don't…"

The one more practiced with encounters such as that, sent him a confident look through half lidded eyes and entered his tongue through the small gap in Cloud's mouth, resuming their kiss. For a moment, they stayed like that, simply massaging each other tongues, entangling and rolling them around together. It was an insurmountably vulgar exchange, but it suited each individual's desires for one another.

Seconds later, Sephiroth pulled away from a reluctant Cloud with a smug look on his face.

"What should we, I mean…how do I…?" Before he could say anything more, a long finger was placed across his swollen lips.

The General paused for a moment to say, "You never have to worry about anything when you're with me."

Cloud returned him with a confused look, but when strong hands pushed his shoulders down, causing him to sit on the bench behind him and the towering figure kneeled on the ground between his legs, he knew instantly what was to proceed. Due to the new circumstance, waves of embarrassment washed over him. With the realization that the sexual encounter wasn't much different than that of a man and woman, he began to think that perhaps he didn't know how to handle things and maintain his cool was because Sephiroth made him nervous. The other man was just so suave and self assured… Cloud felt that if he spoke or stammered anymore, then he would ruin the mood. And yet it was not him who next broke the silence, spawning an awkward atmosphere.

"Tifa was right…" Sephiroth murmured in a low euphoric purr, marveling at the circumference and weight of his length, upon taking him out of his trousers.

Cloud knew that it was a compliment to his, and every other man for that matter's, most prized anatomy, but he sighed and pressed his fingers to the other man's temples to keep him from initiating the act. "Whenever we do this, I need you to…keep her out of it. You can't mention her name..." He kept thinking that the prospect of the General knowing certain facts and details about him, especially the sexual ones, was a little more than creepy… What else did he know? How much had Tifa allowed herself to reveal? Was Sephiroth secretly laughing at him behind his back? There were many things he never wanted anybody to know about him and yet his fiancé knew because they slept, ate and cohabited together. Even so, the very moment the other man brought his lips to the leaking head of his erection and swallowed it into his hot, wet mouth, his mind went completely blank. No longer did he know why he felt so irritated.

"Whenever we do this? Does that mean we're going to do it several times?" Sephiroth asked after taking his plump lips away from the pulsing, warm heat in his grasp.

Cloud ground his teeth together as Sephiroth immediately gulped him into that back of his throat again. "Yes!" He could barely control the pitch of his voice, so his reply came back a bit high.

The man was by no means gentle or romantic about the act. He was simply…brilliant. He wasn't doing it with an intention to tease or be creative, he was sucking him off the ideal way, not stopping, not coming up for air. It was a technique that allowed the receiver to experience constant waves of pleasure.

Cloud didn't know how uncomfortable it was for Sephiroth, but whenever he passed his arousal through his mouth, it nudged the back of his throat, or rather, it stayed there. There were times when Sephiroth gagged. He heard it, felt it. It was good, but Cloud wasn't about one-sided pleasure. He would have told the other to cease the acts if Sephiroth hadn't looked up at him with red swollen eyes, mouth still sheathing his cock. The look he was being sent was inquisitive, and if he looked long and hard enough, joyful. That was the confirmation he needed in order to completely loose himself to this new experience. Cloud began to pull strand of the beautiful man's hair and slowly buck his hips into the welcoming mouth. The teary eyed look was enough to make him lose it, but Sephiroth soon let it slide out of his mouth, sucking on the head rather hard and letting it go with a loud 'pop' sound. That was when Cloud let him out of the fierce grip.

"I hope you're enjoying this more than me… But I find that impossible." The other male confessed, gazing up at Cloud as if he were in fact a god.

Of course, Cloud didn't know how to respond to the unbelievable act of worship. He was speechless. As soon as Sephiroth went back to sucking him off, he sunk his unsteady fingers into his silver locks and began to knead. Oral intercourse wasn't an activity all too informal when it came to him and his female lover, but the exchange was on an entirely different level with Sephiroth. The man took a thorough enjoyment out of slurping it into the caverns of his throat, massaging his tongue against that vein only a man knew about, caressing his thighs… He even reveled in the feeling of pubes brushing up against his nose. Ordinarily, it was a scratchy, rough feeling, but Sephiroth breathed in the miniature blond hairs beneath his navel while letting out a light hum as if the smell couldn't be sweeter. He then focused his tongue on the sac underneath, licking and sucking on it gently yet mercilessly. Then, by the time his attention went back to the enflamed shaft that was positioned predominantly in front of him, Cloud dug his fingertips into the soft scalp under endless shiny locks as hard as he was able and bit his bottom lip. "You really like this, don't you….?" The blond inquired in a breathy, heated tone.

As if to reply him, Sephiroth moved his head up and down faster and started moaning.

Cloud took that as even more permission to take hold of his soft hair and pound his hips into that mouth. After all, the male liked every second of it, relished in it in a manner that almost seemed unreal.

It was over when, abruptly his mouth flew open and he let out a long, rasping cry of raw pleasure. The big and powerful General remained planted in between his legs with his head down until every last drop of semen was drained.

**Yooney: Hi! I missed you all. I'm SO VERY SORRY for the long wait. Life is busy, but sweet. I had also gotten into a little bit of a rut because some discouraging things said to me, but to be honest, I'm glad that it happened. I'm going to finish this story and a couple others and it'll be great. The next chapter to this is halfway finished so you won't have to wait a long time again. Reviews would be wonderful, a gift every writer appreciates and loves. If it moves me enough, I will post it on my profile. Thanks guys for hanging in there with me. **


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